Polish-born Julia Kiniski (1899-1969) was a colourful and determined Edmonton politician who was credited with breathing new life into Edmonton civic politics. After ten failed attempts, Kiniski was elected as an alderwoman in October 1963. She was only the third woman to win a seat on City Council. As president of the Civic Rights Protective Association, Kiniski campaigned against wasteful city spending during the two-decade-long domination of municipal affairs by politicians connected to the Civil Government Association.
Kiniski emigrated from Poland to Chipman, Alberta, with her family in 1912 and married at the age of 16. She left school after completing Grade 7; as an adult, she attended extension courses in psychology and philosophy at the University of Alberta. She and her husband moved to Edmonton in 1936.
Between 1945 and 1962, in the course of her ten unsuccessful runs for office, “Big Julie,’ as she was known, became an accomplished, albeit unconventional, speaker. Her 1963 victory was said to have reinvigorated public interest in City Council. While Kiniski’s outspoken criticism of city spending did not make her popular with civic administrators, her defence of the “little people” captured the public’s imagination. A local radio personality, Jerry Forbes, recorded a song about her set to the tune of “Hello Dolly.” By 1968, in her last election, Kiniski had so greatly increased her share of the votes that she led all other candidates by a clear margin.
After her election in 1963 she was re-elected three times (1964, 1966, 1968) and served until her death from a heart attack in 1969 at the age of 70.