Election 1998: For Mayor of Edmonton

October 17, 1998 Angela Election 1998 0

Tooker Gomberg Biography

Born in Montreal in 1955, Tooker Gomberg has spent his adult life working for the good of the community. He has been a truck driver, taxi driver, writer, radio host, videographer, photographer, activist, and speaker.

Gomberg grew up in Montreal and in 1980 received an undergraduate Arts degree from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts (major: environmental studies, minor: video production). After graduating he returned to Montreal and founded one of Canada’s first curbside recycling programs, collecting recyclables and educating people about ecological alternatives to waste.

In 1982 Gomberg was hired by Alberta Energy (Government of Alberta) and travelled throughout Alberta teaching elementary school students about energy conservation. He spent four years developing classroom materials, teachers’ guides, and student programming.

From 1986 – 1992 Gomberg worked full time consulting and activating around urban environmental issues. He became Executive Director of the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters in 1985 and in 1990 he co-founded the grassroots ecological group EcoCity Society.

After ten years in Edmonton Gomberg and friends developed an extensive social justice, environmental and economic platform for the city. In 1992 he was elected to Edmonton City Council.

As City Councillor he was successful at initiating many innovative Council decisions including:

  • the adoption of water conservation rather than a $300 million expansion of the E.L. Smith water treatment facility;
  • increasing concern for making streets safer for pedestrians
  • the establishment of an automated transit information system;
  • the prodding of Edmonton Power, a city owned utility, to invest in solar energy installations and to seriously consider concerns regarding climate change;
  • the establishment of a water conservation advisory board, a public transit advisory board, an environmental advisory board, and an alternatives-to-pesticides task group;
  • support for a city-wide backyard compost bin sale; and a pilot project of bicycle racks on city buses.

Gomberg has been an effective advocate for community concerns and citizen involvement in politics. He has spoken widely and passionately on issues ranging from support for local small business, to reviving the downtown, to understanding and respecting the particular needs of seniors and people living on fixed incomes.

Since 1995 Gomberg has expanded his writing activities, and is a popular columnist on travel and urban issues. With his partner Angela Bischoff he has been travelling the globe on the Greenspiration Odyssey, searching for inspiring environmental stories and cross-pollinating exciting innovations.

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