Minister of Health and Wellness

Iris Evans was elected to her third term as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Sherwood Park on November 22, 2004. On November 25, Ms. Evans was appointed Alberta’s Minister of Health and Wellness.

In addition to her role as Minister, Ms. Evans serves as Vice Chair of the Standing Policy Committee on Health and Community Living and as a member of Agenda and Priorities Committee. She previously served as a member of Treasury Board.

Before she was elected as an MLA, Ms. Evans served as a school board trustee, President of the Alberta School Trustees Association (now the Alberta School Boards Association), hospital board chair, municipal councillor and reeve of Strathcona County.

After a successful career in local politics in Sherwood Park, Ms. Evans was elected to her first term in the Legislative Assembly on March 11, 1997. She served as Minister of Municipal Affairs and in May 1999, she was appointed the province's first Minister of Children's Services. On March 12, 2001, Ms. Evans was elected to her second term and continued her duties as Minister of Children’s Services while also serving as a member of the Standing Policy Committee on Health and Community Living.

Iris is proud of her accomplishments as Minister of Children’s Services especially:

• Chairing the Alberta Roundtable on Family Violence and Bullying to develop recommendations for a province-wide action plan addressing family violence and bullying.
• Overseeing development and passage of the Family Support for Children with Disabilities Act - Canada’s only separate and distinct legislation dedicated to services for children with disabilities.
• Overseeing the passage of new child welfare legislation, after initiating a review of the Child Welfare Act, the first such review in 17 years.

Ms. Evans graduated with distinction as valedictorian of the Holy Cross Hospital nursing class and instructed piano at the Regional Conservatory in Calgary.

Ms. Evans lives in Sherwood Park, where she is very active in the community. She serves as honorary volunteer chair for breast cancer research fundraising and provides support for the newly established Collective Kitchen in Strathcona County.

Her three sons, Kevin, Trent and Darren, and three daughters-in-law, Vivien, Laurel, and Lori, along with her five grandchildren: Justin, Jarret, Madison, Eric, and Ryan, are the joys of her life.

April 12, 2006