Skye Vermeulen's enthusiasm for politics started from a young age, an interest she picked up from her father.
"My dad said, 'You don't get to complain if you don't vote; you don't get to complain if you don't participate,'" Vermeulen said. "I think it's very easy to get on the computer and complain about the things that happen here, but there's so much more to it than that."
Originally from Claresholm, Alta., Vermeulen moved from Edmonton to St. Albert with her husband and three children in the summer of 2024. Last week, she registered to run for St. Albert city council in the upcoming municipal election.
Vermeulen said she decided to run for council to help bridge a gap in understanding what city councillors do and how council functions. She saw the issue in the city's many Facebook and social media groups.
"I noticed there was a lot of complaints about political issues and concerns with city council and maybe a lack of transparency, and people didn't really understand the role that city council plays," she said. "I think that there's a very big disconnect between what city councillors do and what people think they do."
She said it's important for her to help bridge that gap, get younger people involved and help them understand council. At 40 years of age, she thinks coming from a younger generation can help her do that.
She has been an investigator for nearly a decade with a variety of organizations. She said she served as the hearings director for several health regulatory colleges under the Health Professions Act.
Vermeulen is also no stranger to the city council experience. Currently, she is a public member of the Community Standards and Licensing Appeal Board with Edmonton city council, and has worked almost primarily in administrative law.
"I'm very well aware how boards and tribunals function, what legislative processes they have to use in consideration," she said. She said her work also requires her to have an understanding on bylaws, the Municipal Government Act and "the way that things are run."
One issue of particular importance to her to control urban sprawl to keep St. Albert's green spaces and "maintain its small-town feel." She said that small-town feel is the reason her family came to St. Albert.
"I live in Grandin, so it's a very old tree community," she said. She said that it doesn't feel like she lives in a city when driving in her neighbourhood.
"I'm a very big proponent of keeping the natural look of the city."
