Mayor Berry Vrbanovic was born in Zagreb, Croatia, and moved to Canada as a young child. Coming from an immigrant family himself, Berry understands the challenges and issues facing the thousands of Canadians who have made Kitchener their new home.

Berry attended St. Jerome's high school, and graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a BA in political science and a diploma in business administration. Prior to entering municipal politics, he worked in our city clerk's office and the information technology division.

Berry's outgoing and personable style contributed to his ability to successfully serve as a city councillor for six consecutive terms of council, from 1994-2014. During that time, he helped bring important community initiatives to life, such as the fire station at Ottawa Street and River Road, the Grand River-Stanley Park branch of the Kitchener Public Library and the Stanley Park Community Centre. He also co-founded the Chicopee Outreach Program (COP), a unique mentoring program linking at-risk youth with police, fire and community mentors.

Berry Vrbanovic was first elected as Mayor of the City of Kitchener in 2014, and was re-elected in 2018, with an outpouring of community support, for a second term. He remains committed to improving the quality of life for residents in Kitchener and throughout the Region of Waterloo.

In addition to serving on all of our regular standing committees, Berry is also an appointee and active participant on many boards and committees, including the Mayor's Advisory Council for Kitchener Seniors (MACKS), Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro Inc. board of directors, University of Waterloo board of governors, Wilfrid Laurier University board of governors, Kitchener Housing Inc. board of directors, Centre in the Square board of management, and the Downtown Kitchener BIA board of directors.

As a member of Waterloo regional council, Berry sits on all three regional standing committees, as well as the economic development committee, and the King Victoria Transit Hub steering committee.

Berry is also Treasurer of United Cities & Local Governments, President Emeritus (2011-12) of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and a member of FCM's Green Municipal Fund Council.

Mayor Kathryn McGarry is a community builder with a history of advocating for Cambridge and its residents.

As a Registered Nurse for over 35 years, she has provided care to patients in the Emergency and Intensive Care units and has been a Care Coordinator for the Local Health Integrated Network.

Continuous engagement as a volunteer allowed her to contribute to many community Boards, Task Forces and Committees, in social services, heritage, environmental, health care, crime prevention and planning related sectors. For example, noting the lack of palliative care services, Kathryn was one of the founding members of Hospice of Waterloo Region (now in its’ 25th year). In late 2010 while working at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Kathryn arranged a critical meeting between the Minister of Infrastructure and the CEO which ultimately led to the successful Provincial approval to expand the Hospital.

She was elected as MPP for Cambridge in 2014 and appointed as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Transportation, handling the reform of public transportation projects and strengthening provincial legislation for cycling and road safety. 

In June 2016, Kathryn was appointed to Cabinet as the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF). During her tenure, she led the passage of two important pieces of legislation modernizing aggregate resources and Conservation Authorities, and advocated for Ontario producers in the Softwood Lumber trade dispute with the United States.

Kathryn was appointed as Ontario’s Minister of Transportation in January 2018. She secured funding for a study as the first step in establishing a new option to connect Cambridge to the GO train network through Guelph. She also ensured that Cambridge received funds for improved cycling routes.

In October 2018, Kathryn was elected as the Mayor of Cambridge.

Kathryn received the Cambridge YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 2009 and the Bernice Adam’s Special Trustee Award in 2011.

PUBLIC MANAGEMENT

Chief of Staff of the President of the Environment Agency of the Junta de Andalucía. 1990-1994

Chief of Staff of the Minister of the Environment of the Junta de Andalucía. 1994 - 1996

Head of the Cabinet of the Minister of Education and Science. 1996 - 1997

Secretary General of Planning of the Public Environmental Management Company (EGMASA) of the Junta de Andalucía. 1997-2000

General Director of Prevention and Environmental Quality of the Ministry of the Environment of the Junta de Andalucía. 2000 - 2004

President of EGMASA (Empresa de Gestión Medioambiental SA). 2004-2008

POLITICAL MANAGEMENT

Re-elected mayor of Seville 2019-2023.

Mayor of Seville 2015-2019.

Spokesperson for the Municipal Socialist Group in the Seville City Council during the 2011-2015 term.

Member of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union.

President of the Network of Cities for the Climate of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces.

President of the AVE Cities Network.

Member of the WTTC.

Member of the bureau of the European Covenant of Mayors against climate change, Covenant of Mayors.

Member of ARLEM, Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly of the European Union and its Mediterranean partners.

Deputy Minister of the Environment of the Junta de Andalucía 2004-2008.

Councilor for Housing and Territorial Planning of the Junta de Andalucía and President of the Public Land Company of Andalusia (EPSA). 2008-2010.

Senator in the Cortes Generales for the Autonomous Community of Andalusia. 2010-2013. Vice President of the Commission for the Environment and Climate Change.

Secretary of Coordination in Seville and the Metropolitan Area in the Provincial Executive of the PSOE of Seville.

COMPLEMENTARY PUBLIC ACTIVITIES

President of the ANDANATURA Foundation and Vice President of the DOÑANA 21 Foundation between 2004 and 2008.

Vice President of the Andalusian Council for the Environment and the Andalusian Council for Biodiversity between 2004 and 2008.

President of the Andalusian Regional and Urban Planning Commission between 2008 and 2010.

Director of the Social Council of the University of Seville from July 2013 to the present.

Member of the National Climate Council (2002 to 2008) and Member of the Permanent Commission that prepared the Spanish Climate Change Strategy (2004).

Coordinator of the Monitoring Committee and Scientific Panel of the Andalusian Strategy on Climate Change from 2002 to 2008.

He has collaborated as a Professor for several years in various Masters in Environmental Law and Management at the Universities of Seville and Carlos III of Madrid, Andalusia Business School, Industrial Organization School, etc. and participates in forums, courses and congresses on Climate Change, Sustainability and Land Management.

He has published numerous articles in Books, Press and Specialized Magazines on environmental matters and Sustainable Development.

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward was elected as the 29th mayor of Burlington, Ontario in October of 2018. She is also the second woman to hold that position in Burlington’s history. 

Mayor Meed Ward is working hand in hand with Burlington’s city council, leadership team, staff and community partners to help our city grow and thrive in these extraordinary times.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has created additional focus areas for the Mayor and Council in order to keep our community safe and healthy, she remains committed to the platform she was elected on: supporting reasonable growth in the places and scale that make sense for our community’s vision, making it easier to do business and grow here in Burlington, creating an environment of respectful debate and open dialogue with the community and at City Hall, and making decisions that support inclusivity, fiscal responsibility, and our environment.

Susan Aitken has been Leader of Glasgow City Council since May 2017 and is the first SNP Leader of the Council. For her work to deliver equal pay justice for thousands of women in the city, she was awarded Scottish Local Government Politician of the Year. 

Under her leadership Glasgow has been named the host of COP26, a Global Green City, and the European Capital of Sport for 2023. 

Susan has worked in a variety of policy and research roles in the Scottish Parliament and the third sector, and as a freelance writer and editor specialising in health and social care policy. She is a graduate of both Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities.

I was born in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland, and came to Canada in 1983. Music and Gaelic football dominated my youth as did soccer which advanced me to a semi-professional league. I first settled in Vancouver and moved to Burnaby in 1988. 

I joined the Burnaby Fire Department in 1988. Throughout my career, I’ve held many positions – driver; technical rescue team member; hazardous material specialist; instructor; Lieutenant, Captain and Acting Assistant Chief. 

My second “home” is with the Burnaby Fire Fighters Charitable Society. The Society raises money for community groups and non-profit organizations which supports more than 50 charities. Over $800,000 annually is given for bursaries and they operate a Nutritional Food Program that benefits kids at 26 elementary schools, four high schools and four youth centres. 

I was honoured to receive the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Since his election as Edmonton’s 35th Mayor in 2013, Mayor Iveson has led Edmonton’s transformation into a more uplifting, resilient and globally competitive city. Alongside his remarkable partner Sarah, they both serve their city while raising two young children. Mayor Iveson’s guiding leadership principle is to make things better for the next generation.

Despite tough economic headwinds, he works every day to connect Edmontonians to collaboratively make progress on Council’s four strategic priorities: building a healthier and more inclusive city; building a more prosperous and economically diverse region; responding to the climate emergency; and building a more urbanized place, a cost-effective and sustainable City as we grow to 2 million people — all while working to strengthen integrity and performance at City Hall.

Mayor Don Iveson has served on Edmonton’s City Council for 13 years — he was first elected a city councillor for ward 5 in 2007. Prior to entering public life, Iveson studied Political Science at the University of Alberta, then served as president of Canadian University Press in Toronto. He returned home to a city that appeared to be exporting young, smart leaders, thinkers, creators and entrepreneurs faster than it could attract them. The challenge of attracting and retaining more people inspired Iveson to run for City Council in 2007. As a result, one of his key performance indicators – as both a father and as Mayor – is to build the kind of city where, when the time comes, his kids will decide to stay and build.

The Municipality of Kfar-Saba is committed to conduct and improve processes as a healthy and sustainable city, strengthening the values of the community, society, culture, education and the environment while providing economic strength. As a Leading and pioneering city in Israel, Kfar-Saba has joined the Convention on Climate Change and the Israel Convention on the Reduction of Food Waste and is working to implement practical change.