Catherine Chichak

Background

Catherine Chichak was born on October 7, 1934 in the small village of Krasne, Saskatchewan.

Education

After high school she moved to Edmonton, Alberta and attended McTavish Business College and later the University of Alberta where she earned her real estate license.

Career

She then served as an Alderman for the City of Edmonton. She went to school growing up in the nearby town of Wynard. Chichak began her political career by seeking a seat on Edmonton City Council.

She ran for the first time in the 1966 Edmonton municipal election but was unsuccessful finishing in 20th place out of 44th place in the plurality block vote.

She ran for a second time in the 1968 Edmonton municipal election. She did slightly better finishing 17th out of a field of 32 candidates.

Chichak would run for her second term in the 1975 Alberta general election. She would face a challenge from former cabinet minister Alfred Hooke and two other candidates.

Despite her popular vote dropping slightly, the opposition vote would collapse and she was returned easily.

She would run for her third term in office in the 1979 Alberta general election. She was challenged for her seat and nearly defeated by future Modern Language Association Ray Martin and three other candidates, winning a very hotly contested election. She retired from provincial politics at dissolution of the assembly in 1982.

Chichak returned to Edmonton municipal politics running as a candidate for Separate School Trustee in the 1983 Edmonton municipal election.

She was re-elected in the 1986 Edmonton municipal election once again finishing first place in the polls. Chichak decided to run for a seat to city council in the 1989 Edmonton municipal election.

She became mired in a scandal after it came to light she owed $8,400 in unpaid business taxes. She was convicted and fined for signing a false statement regarding her tax debt.

The court also found she was ineligible to have run for election but let her keep her seat because she paid her taxes.

She was easily defeated in the 1992 Edmonton municipal election finishing a distant sixth place out ten candidates.

Achievements

• She won the open district comfortably defeating two other candidates to pick up the seat for the Progressive Conservatives. She finished at the head of the polls to win her seat. She won the second seat in Ward 2 to earn her first term as an Aldermen.

Politics

Chichak would try for a career in provincial politics running for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the electoral district of Edmonton-Norwood in the 1971 Alberta general election. Her win would help the party form government that year.

Membership

She served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1971 to 1982 sitting with the governing Progressive Conservative caucus.