While many of us know Jyoti as Calgary’s Mayor, her story starts when she was born in the U.K, and at the age of four, she and her family immigrated to Canada. Settling first in Winnipeg and then moving to smaller towns in Manitoba, she experienced the typical childhood growing up in the prairies, playing basketball, curling with jam cans, and skating on ponds. Jyoti’s family was one of the few visible minority families in town, which meant they faced many barriers; this resulted in her father sacrificing parts of his faith to be able to provide for his family. Still, the family spoke Punjabi at home and Jyoti has always retained her mother tongue, continuing to emphasize the role language plays in community and culture building.
Jyoti’s education led her to completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Manitoba and starting a role as a policy analyst with Family Services at the Government of Manitoba. She married her husband Todd in 1996, and the two of them moved to Alberta, eventually establishing Calgary as home in 1997. Her career at Credit Union Central and then a leadership role at Greyhound Canada provided Jyoti the opportunity to meet with people in different businesses and communities. By meeting people on their turf and asking how she could best serve them, Jyoti fostered a crucial relationship of support and respect between the organization, its managers, and their clients – a skill that she continues to bring with her today at the City of Calgary.
Her father, who remains a driving force for her decision to choose public service, passed days before she defended her masters thesis in corporate social responsibility. His legacy was carried on through Jyoti as she took on a leadership role in Calgary’s South Asian community, through creating open conversations about the role of culture, language, and religion in public education. Jyoti’s commitment and participation across various community volunteer boards and committees led her to be elected as the Ward 3 Councillor in 2017. Her collaborative skillset, bold decision-making, and belief in the potential of continued prosperity and growth in Calgary drove her to be elected as Mayor in 2021.
Jyoti shares a home with her mum (Surjit), husband (Todd), 19-year-old Justice, and her dog, Smokey. Jyoti’s connection to her Punjabi heritage through language started with her mum and has now influenced her journey in truth and reconciliation with Calgary’s Indigenous communities. Frequently referring to language as a way of sustaining culture, Jyoti recognizes the strength and value in how it connects us to others and to ourselves. Jyoti continues to empower Calgarians by asking questions, building social connections, and providing supports to understand and address different community needs and priorities.
Career Achievements
Jyoti has an undergraduate degree in sociology and criminology, an M.A. in organizational sociology that focused on corporate social responsibility, and a Ph.D. in urban sociology that explored urban-rural struggles in hybrid areas like Rocky View County. Shortly after completing her M.A., Jyoti’s research skills and passion for creating change evolved into an entrepreneurial drive when she started her own consulting practice, ‘Tick’. Here, she worked with energy and city-building sectors to help business models grow alongside a rapidly evolving regulatory and economic environment by getting to the root of issues.
Jyoti served on the boards of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Alberta, Design Talks Institute and Parent Support Association. Her experience as an integral advisor on the National Executive Forum on Public Property and the Calgary Economic Development Real Estate Advisory Committee was sought out by the University of Calgary as they asked her to lead the Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies at the Haskayne School of Business in 2014. Her knowledge in the Real Estate sector and what it means to contribute to the growth of a prosperous city proved to be essential as she examined the decline in Calgary’s commercial property value and substantial downtown vacancy.
Before running for City Council, Jyoti worked with numerous community organizations, placing emphasis on strategic planning. She supported the expansion of Vivo for Healthier Generations recreation centre, while also participating on the City of Calgary’s Planning Commission, HealthYYC and the Community Representation Task Force.
In 2017, Jyoti was elected to Calgary City Council where she served for four years. Her time on council, albeit brief, proved to be effective as she began working on various projects that have now been accomplished during her time as Mayor. Her commitment and advocacy for issues on budget and finance, for example, worked to minimize the property tax gap between non-residential and residential properties without increasing overall taxes.
Elected again in October 2021, Jyoti began her term as Mayor helping Calgarians recover from the damages of COVID-19, both through reinstating a sense of community and ability to identify key priorities, such as public safety and economic development, to help the city move forward. Her optimism has encouraged Calgarians to seize opportunity and make bold decisions so our city can reach its full potential.
Why public service?
When asking the mayor why she chose to get involved with public service, she might begin by sharing the story of her father. His encouragement for Jyoti to get involved with local advocacy and his teachings of the Sikh concept of seva – defined as selfless service – has led to her unwavering commitment to the greater community. Learning from her father and then followed by her experiences on various volunteer boards and committees paved a path of opportunity in which Jyoti has been able to serve Calgarians in shaping a city where everyone has the chance to thrive.
Throughout Jyoti’s career, she has placed strong emphasis on the value of community building. When she and her husband first arrived in Calgary, the welcoming nature of the city that Jyoti noticed has now translated into her role as Mayor. With her own personal development with truth and reconciliation and advocacy for marginalized groups and communities, Jyoti continues to be a voice for all Calgarians, creating an environment that welcomes everyone. Her priority lies in fostering a sense of community amongst all Calgarians, created by being involved and getting things done. Jyoti is the type of leader who works alongside her community, emphasizing the role of collaboration in fostering the values of diversity, inclusion and belonging.
This goal of community building was further established on March 27th, 2023 when the Mayor graciously received the Blackfoot name Nattoyipittakii, which means Holy Eagle Woman, from Blackfoot Elder Clarence Wolfleg. Behind the name Holy Eagle Woman is a story of leadership that speaks of flying above clouds and storms to gain perspective and to guide others in a journey of finding peace. This speaks to Jyoti’s resilience in the face of hardship, where her ability to think outside of the box and acknowledge diversity as a strength has led to her to consistently find a way to move forward even when times get tough.