Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack has named Yetunde Oke his chief of staff.
"Yetunde joins our team with more than two decades of experience in municipal and provincial government," Knack said in announcing the appointment. "Most recently she served as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Office of the City Manager, here at the City of Edmonton."
"Yetunde brings extensive experience working with all orders of government, navigating complex issues and building strong relationships. Her thoughtful leadership, experience and collaborative approach will be a great addition to the Mayor's Office."
Who she is
Oke has served as the City of Edmonton's director of intergovernmental affairs, a position listed in the City's published leadership structure under the Office of the City Manager.
She has held that role across more than one city manager, appearing in City organizational charts under both Andre Corbould and Eddie Robar.
Before that, Knack's announcement places her in provincial government. She has worked on both sides of the relationship she'll now be managing.
This is not the city manager's chief of staff
Two different jobs share the title at the City of Edmonton, and it's an easy thing to get wrong.
The Office of the City Manager has its own Chief of Staff, a member of the Executive Leadership Team who provides strategic leadership on council-driven priorities and corporate initiatives. According to the City, that office includes Intergovernmental Affairs and the Department Strategy Section.
That's the administrative side of the building. Oke is moving to the Mayor's Office, which is political staff serving the mayor directly.
She is, in effect, moving from the branch she used to run into the office it supports.
Why intergovernmental affairs matters right now
Intergovernmental affairs is the function that manages a city's relationship with the province and Ottawa. In most years it's quiet work.
This isn't most years.
Meta is building a $13-billion data centre in Sturgeon County, north of the city. The province is running data centre town halls through September and has just commissioned a 100-year water security study. There's a fall referendum coming. Municipal funding and authority remain live disputes between Alberta cities and the provincial government.
All of that lands on the same desk.
What happened with the last chief of staff
Knack hired former NDP MP Blake Desjarlais in April. Desjarlais stepped down in July, three months in.
"After careful reflection and discussion with Mayor Andrew Knack, I have made the decision to step down as his chief of staff," Desjarlais said in a statement issued through the mayor's office. "Serving our city has been one of the great privileges of my career. The lessons and stories shared with me during my time are ones I will truly treasure."
"I am proud of Blake's service to my office and our city, and have no doubt that he will continue to serve Edmontonians to the best of his ability," Knack said at the time. "Thank you, Blake."
Desjarlais represented Edmonton Griesbach from 2021 to 2025 and was the first openly two-spirit person elected to the House of Commons. He lost the riding in the 2025 federal election.
Neither he nor the mayor gave a reason beyond mutual agreement.
What a mayor's chief of staff actually does
It's the senior political staff position in the mayor's office. The role runs the office, controls what reaches the mayor's desk, manages relationships with councillors, administration and other governments, and handles the political calculation on files before they become public.
Mayors in Alberta govern without a party. That makes the chief of staff the closest thing to an internal cabinet, and it's why the appointment gets attention that a comparable city job wouldn't.
What hasn't been said
The announcement doesn't give a start date, and Knack hasn't explained the roughly five-week gap between Desjarlais leaving and this appointment being made public.
It also doesn't say who is now handling intergovernmental affairs in the city manager's office, or whether the position is being filled.
We've asked the mayor's office and will update this article.
The timeline
Knack took office October 29, 2025, after defeating Tim Cartmell. He ran as an independent.
It took roughly six months to hire his first full-time chief of staff. That appointment lasted three. Oke is his second, about ten months into a four-year term.
Sources
Mayor Andrew Knack, announcement of appointment, August 2026
Office of the City Manager — City of Edmonton
City of Edmonton leadership list — City of Edmonton
City of Edmonton organizational structure — City of Edmonton
Statements from Blake Desjarlais and Mayor Andrew Knack, July 2026
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