Gary Carr is the Regional Chair at the Regional Municipality of Halton. More information can be found at the Chair’s corner at www.halton.ca
Oakville.com: Please tell us about your background.
Regional Chair Carr: I stared off as a professional hockey player which gave me a good background to enter the political arena. I played at Michigan State on a hockey scholarship and then returned to play for the Toronto Marlboros where I was the All Star goalie on the Memorial Cup Champion Marlboros in 1975.
Drafted by the Boston Bruins, I played 4 years in their farm system in the International and American Hockey Leagues and then signed as a free agent with the Quebec Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche), where I played 2 more years in the American Hockey League.
I received a certificate in Business Administration from Ryerson University as well as an advanced graduate diploma in management from Athabasca in 1999 and my MBA from Athabasca University in 2002.
I was first elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1990 as the Member of the Provincial Parliament for the Riding of Oakville South and was re-elected in 1995 and again in 1999 to represent the new riding of Oakville. I served as Deputy House Leader, Parliamentary Assistant to the Solicitor General as well as serving on the Finance and Economic, Justice, and Public Accounts Committees. In October 1999 I was elected by my peers, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and held that position until November 2003.
I was elected to the House of Commons as the Member of Parliament for Halton and served as a member of the Special Caucus Committee on Immigration and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
Most recently, I was elected to the position of Regional Chair at the Regional Municipality of Halton. I sit on the Standing committees of Health and Social Services, Administration and Finance, and Planning and Public Works, in addition to a number of Advisory Committees and I am also a member of the board for the Halton Regional Police Services and served on Metrolinx.
Oakville.com: Can you describe the duties and responsibilities of your Office?
Regional Chair Carr: I chair the council meetings and work with staff to implement the policies that the Regional Council has adopted. I also ensure that the Strategic Plan passed by council is implemented.
Our Strategic Plan can be found at www.halton.ca/about/strategicplan/
One of my most important roles is to ensure that the decisions we make and the programs and services we offer are made in the best interests of the people of Halton. As an example, I spend a great deal of time building on our partnerships with the provincial and federal governments to secure much needed funding for the infrastructure that pays for roads, water and wastewater facilities.
Oakville.com: Please tell us about some of the community events that you are involved with.
Regional Chair Carr: A big part of my job is to attend events and bring greetings on behalf of the Halton Regional Council. I attend a number of community events and annual meetings. A number of photos of these events are on the Chair’s corner at www.halton.ca
Oakville.com: What issues are you presently working on that affect the residents of Oakville?
Regional Chair Carr: Our council page also has the issues that are before council and you can see our podcasts of council at www.halton.ca and our strategic plan has a number of the goals for the council. One of the major issues I will be working on in the fall will be Council’s consideration of the 2010 budget. Staff have been directed to present a budget with no increases to Regional taxes. In addition, we’ll be launching a newly designed website and we’ll be continuing to promote easier access to government services through our 211 and 311 phone numbers. I am also working with our health department and communications division to ensure our residents have all the information they need to protect themselves from the H1N1 virus.
Editor’s note: This article is part of an ongoing series of interviews conducted by Oakville.com with local government leaders. Please give us your feedback and ask any questions in the Comments section below.
About the author: The Editor
This account managed by the editorial staff of Oakville.com to post general interest articles about Oakville and Opinions/Letters to the Editor. If you would like to submit an article to Oakville.com, click here.
Follow
Subscribe