Member Profile: Councillor Thu Parmar

Council Advisor

(She/Her)

Thu Parmar was elected to Edmonton City Council representing Ward sipiwiyiniwak in October 2025 and was appointed to WAVE as a Councillor Advisor the same month.

Thu is passionate about addressing gender equality and is dedicated to strengthening Edmonton through active communication and engagement with constituents, all levels of government, and the local business and non-profit communities.

Thu was born in a Thailand refugee camp after her family fled Vietnam. When she was one month old, her family came to Edmonton in search of a better life. Her parents worked low-income jobs until they opened a family business in Chinatown. This allowed her parents to send their three daughters to the University of Alberta, where Thu became a pharmacist in 2004.

Thu worked in community and hospital pharmacies, then went to manage the provincial drug plan and moved to the private sector. She has volunteered on many boards to give back to the community, including helping to build a spray park, skating rink and community building. Before being elected to City Council, she served as the Vice President of the Canadian Red Cross for Alberta & Northwest Territories. 

Thu is the first Vietnamese person to be elected to Edmonton City Council.