William Hawrelak
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William Hawrelak (October 3, 1915 – November 7, 1975) was the mayor of Edmonton, Alberta from 1951 to 1959 and again from 1964 to 1965 and a third time from 1974 to 1975. Born in the district of Shandro, Alberta, ancestrally the name was Гавриляк (Havriliak).
He started as city alderman from 1949 till 1951. He was the first mayor of Edmonton of Ukrainian Canadian descent. All three times, he left before the conclusion of his term. The first time, a provincial investigation into his questionable real estate dealing landed him in the middle of a public scandal. The second time, the Supreme Court of Alberta kicked him out of office over the aforementioned dealings. The third time, he died in office due to a heart attack.
Despite his shady dealings, Hawrelak has left one of the greatest impacts on the City of Edmonton of all mayors. He is responsible for the Centennial Library (presently the Stanley A. Milner Library, the head library of the Edmonton Public Library), a new city hall, Riverside Golf Course, the Valley Zoo, Groat Bridge, the Royal Alexandra Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Planetarium (near the Telus World of Science), Fort Edmonton Park, Borden Park, Coronation Park, Mayfair Park (later renamed to Hawrelak Park in his honor), and the construction of the Yellowhead Trail Alberta Provincial Highway 16 through Edmonton.
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| Preceded by Sidney Parsons |
Mayor of Edmonton 1951-1959 |
Succeeded by Frederick John Mitchell |
| Preceded by Elmer Ernest Roper |
Mayor of Edmonton 1964-1965 |
Succeeded by Vincent M. Dantzer |
| Preceded by Ivor Dent |
Mayor of Edmonton 1974-1975 |
Succeeded by Terry Cavanagh |
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