Mayor Gondek and Calgary city council wear ‘terrible outfits’ to fulfill lost Battle of Alberta bet

The Edmonton Oilers may have been swept by the Colorado Avalanche, but that doesn’t mean that Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek and city council were off the hook for their Battle of Alberta bet with Edmonton mayor Amarjeet Sohi and their council. On Tuesday, the majority of Calgary city council donned various Oilers jerseys for their council meeting as a result of Edmonton beating the Calgary Flames in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The bet involved Gondek painting her face in Oilers colours, wearing an Oilers jersey, and providing a donation to Edmonton’s Kids with Cancer Society in honour of young Oilers fan Ben Stelter, who’s been courageously battling brain cancer. Gondek’s $500 donation was matched by Edmonton’s mayor, as well as other contributions from members of both cities’ councils.

The timing may be suspect, but Tuesday’s council meeting was the first meeting since the Oilers eliminated the Flames from the Stanley Cup playoffs. It just so happened that it landed on the morning after the Oilers were themselves eliminated. Ward 3 councilor and deputy mayor (and 2016 Olympian) Jasmine Mian welcomed Edmonton’s council members to the webcast of Calgary city council with a simple message: “Welcome to the loser’s club.”