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The Historian Laureate works closely with the Edmonton Historical Board and Edmonton Heritage Council to promote Edmonton's rich and diverse history.
The Historian Laureate Program seeks to engage Edmonton residents by enhancing awareness and participation in heritage through a variety of activities.
The term 'Laureate' was selected to honour the individual’s abilities to relate stories and traditions in engaging ways, rather than to focus on a scholarly career.
There have been 9 Historian Laureates to date.
The Edmonton Historical Board and Edmonton Heritage Council are currently accepting applications to select a Historian Laureate for the 2026-28 term.
The deadline for submission of nominations is Monday March 9, 2026 at 4pm.
Donna Coombs-Montrose is a Community Activist and History Advocate who has resided in Edmonton, Alberta for over 20 years. Donna’s activism began while a student in Toronto during the 1970s and continued her heritage exploration in her home country during the succeeding years, after completing her academic training in librarianship and archives.
Since coming to Edmonton with her family, she has served on the board of CARIWEST – Western Carnival Development Association – 1999-2017, including the last 10 years as its President. Her core intent was to raise the contributions of the Caribbean and other diaspora immigrants to building this society.
She has also served as founding member of the Alberta Labour History Institute (ALHI) from 1999/2000 and as a Director for the past 7 years.
Donna is also contributing to these and several other organizations:
She has also served as a juror for many different grant streams and written many anecdotes.
With a passion for storytelling as an essential platform for documenting a community’s history, Donna has recorded, with online access, many interviews of community members in labour, culture, health, education and entrepreneurship, in various trades and professional occupations, on the ground of transforming our society. Current projects include Caribbean Oil Workers Contribution to Alberta’s economy and Jasper Place – The Black Community.
A recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal in 2022, Donna is an avid painter who plays in the music band iLand.+
Energized by a visionary agenda and nurtured by a community with high expectations, the coming period will be pivotal in her role as City of Edmonton Historian Laureate, 2024-2026.
Over a 2-year term, the Historian Laureate will:
The successful Historian Laureate must agree to:
Nominees must meet the following criteria:
Nominees can have any of the following (equivalencies will be considered):
If you need assistance completing the package, please contact us via the indicated email or phone 1-780-914-1767.
All nomination submissions must include the following:
Please email your nomination with all the required documents to: Edmonton Historical Board at edmontonhistoricalboard@edmonton.ca.
The deadline for submission of nominations is Monday March 9, 2026 at 4pm.
If you do not receive email receipt confirmation within 3 business days, please call us for a follow-up.
All applications will be reviewed and those short-listed will be contacted for an interview time with the selection committee before the middle of March 2026.
The selection committee includes a member from:
The interview will last 30 minutes with 20 minutes allotted for the applicant to present the project and the goals for the 2-year term and 10 minutes for questions from the committee.
Position announcement will be made in May 2026 at a City Council meeting.
Cheryl is the Executive Director of the Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society and has been with Bent Arrow just about since its inception over a quarter-century ago. Now she oversees a suite of 21 different programs and services. The organization's programming connects indigenous clients to the city around them, and helps them build skills and resilience that they can use in other parts of their lives.
Cheryl proudly serves as a board member of the Canadian Accreditation Council of Human Services, the Align Association of Community Services and was newly appointed to the Board of PolicyWise for Children & Families. She has contributed to the work of EndPovertyEdmonton since its inception and currently acts as co-chair of the Stewardship Round Table. She also sits at the table for the National Advisory Council on Poverty. She acts as a mentor for the Edmonton Chamber of Voluntary Organizations Executive Director Mentorship program and represents Bent Arrow through CS, a collaborative partnership of five non-profits using innovative engagement in vulnerable neighbourhoods. Cheryl is proud of the strong partnerships she has maintained across sectors.
A graduate of the Child & Youth Care Program at Grant MacEwan University in 1995 and was recognized with a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018. She was also recognized with an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of Alberta in 2021. Cheryl was also recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary Foundation in 2021.
Omar Yaqub, @somaryaqub X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, is excited about soulful placemaking, shared stories, and disrupting inequity through beauty. He is a settler on Treaty 6, with two decades of experience in the for-benefit sector. He serves Islamic Family, a multi-award-winning Imagine Canada accredited charity in the social services sector. Omar has been a part of the creation process for The Canadian Prayer Rug, Roots on 6 and ECVO's History of Edmonton’s Human Services Sector.
Omar has been awarded a Doctor of Sacred Letters from St Stephen's College, EMCN's RISE award for Community Leadership, and the University of Alberta’s Co-op Mentorship Award.
Amber Paquette is a Métis multidisciplinary artist, film-maker and Indigenous People's interpreter born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. Her life's passion and work have long been inspired by the rich history and culture of her family.
Amber has worked professionally as a historian, storyteller and Indigenous People's Interpreter with Fort Edmonton Park for several years. Her work with the public has centered on the daily re-enactment of Edmonton's historic Fur Trade era and Indigenous culture and traditions.
Amber can trace her ancestry back to many of the prolific founders of early Fort Edmonton - Cree, Iroquois, French and Scottish fur traders who played a pivotal role in the city's birth.
As Historian Laureate, Amber introduced Edmontonians to many local stories and characters through a series of short documentary films. Amber inspired Edmontonians to foster a deeper connection with their city and the places they call home, while paying homage to the incredible contributions of her First Nations and Métis ancestors.
Marlena Wyman was Edmonton's fifth Historian Laureate. As a visual artist and archivist, her goals were to shine a light on lesser known Edmonton stories through her art and to increase awareness of the role of the archives.
She created artworks for two exhibits that were inspired by the archival records of early Edmonton women. She also curated the exhibit: Sketching History: Rediscovering Edmonton's Architectural Heritage through Urban Sketching, installed at the Prince of Wales Armouries and City Archives.
Sketches of the city's built and natural heritage by members of Urban Sketchers Edmonton were featured, as well as photographs and paintings from the City of Edmonton Archives. A smaller exhibit travelled to Edmonton Public Library branches and a catalogue was published.
An online version can be viewed on the City Archives webpage.
Chris Chang-Yen Phillips was Edmonton’s fourth historian laureate and was active in animating Edmonton’s stories through creating the Let's Find Out podcast. He produced 20 episodes of the podcast as well as a live panel discussion. He also maintained and expanded the Historian Laureate Facebook page.
Chang-Yen Phillips also animated Edmonton's history through marking Canada's 150th. For this, he was involved in writing a series of history stories for CBC Canada. He also supervised a group of University of Alberta students making radio stories about Edmonton’s Chinatown for a project called Figure 一，二，三，六，八.
Edmonton's third Historian Laureate, Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail, was very active during her term, especially online. She promoted Edmonton's history through her Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail website and blog as well as on Twitter through her account @danicanuck using the hashtag #yeghistory. She also started a Historian Laureate Facebook page.
Metcalfe-Chemail's publications during her time as Historian Laureate include Polar Winds: A Century of Flying the North and a children's book, Aviation ABC's. She also wrote numerous articles for blogs, newspapers and magazines.
During her time as Historian Laureate, Shirley Lowe continued to raise awareness of the position. Her success is shown by the increasing number of requests for media appearances and presentations to community groups.
Lowe helped to mark significant Edmonton milestones like the 100-year anniversaries of the completion of the High Level Bridge and the amalgamation of Strathcona and Edmonton. She spoke up for Edmonton's heritage with groups like the Rossdale Regeneration Group.
Research and Presentation Highlights
Ken Tingley became the first municipal Historian Laureate in Canada when he was named to the position in April 2010. "I am honoured that the City of Edmonton has chosen me as Historian Laureate," said Tingley. "Edmonton may be a relatively young city, but it has packed a lot in. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share this history with others."
During his tenure as Historian Laureate, Tingley presented and gave tours at local symposiums and conferences and spoke to historical societies and community and professional groups. Tingley also served as Master of Ceremonies for the celebration of the 65th Anniversary of Victory in Europe Day and the Liberation of Holland, held at Sir Winston Churchill Square on May 5, 2010.
One of his first duties as Historian Laureate, attending Evansdale School's Multicultural Heritage days, led to an ongoing oral history project, documenting the experiences of recent immigrant children and their families.
Ken Tingley's publications during his time as Historian Laureate include Ride of the Century: The Story of the Edmonton Transit System and My Heart's in the Highlands: The Building of a Historic Edmonton Community.
In 2011, the City of Edmonton reinforced the importance of identifying and preserving Edmonton’s history by becoming Canada’s first municipality to appoint a Historian Laureate.
The Historian Laureate Program is the City’s official ambassador on historical matters and promotes the history of the city and its citizens. It was the first civic program of its kind in Canada and has since been followed by Calgary's Historian in Residence program along with others.
A jury, composed of members of the Edmonton Historical Board and the Edmonton Heritage Council, selects a new Historian Laureate every 2 years.
