Mayors' Council

Peter Fassbender, Chair

Peter Fassbender was elected for the first time as a councillor to City of Langley Council in Nov. 2002 and then to the mayor’s seat in the Nov. 2005 civic elections.

In his business career, Mayor Fassbender worked in radio and television as well as a number of other communications fields.

In his last 29 years he was a partner and senior executive with DDB Canada (formerly Palmer Jarvis), one of Canada’s largest and most successful marketing and communications firms. In that capacity he dealt with both public and private sector clients with a global reach.

Several years ago, he helped establish the first Earth Day International Awards presented at UN Headquarters in New York and via satellite in Germany and Los Angeles. These awards were used to recognize international celebrities who had made significant contributions to the environment.

He is often sought out as a speaker on communication and social marketing issues.

Currently and during his tenure on council, he has served on most civic committees and boards as well as the boards of a number of provincial, national and international organizations.

Other affiliations and involvement includes:

• Chair, Fraser Valley Regional Library Board;
• Co- Chair, RCMP/Mayors Consultative Forum;
• Co-Chair, Fraser Health Municipal Advisory Council;
• Member, Metro Vancouver Land Use and Transportation Committee;
• Chair, Emergency Planning Committee;
• Chair, Police Advisory Committee;
• Chair, Social Planning Committee;
• Metro Vancouver Board Alternate;
• Former Trustee Langley School Board.

Joe Trasolini, Vice Chair

Giuseppe (Joe) Trasolini had three years of Council experience behind him when he took over the mayor’s chair in December, 1999.

Mayor Trasolini is a strong advocate of economic development and balanced growth, while remaining committed to preserving the natural environment. As mayor, he chairs the Police Board and the Emergency Measures Policy & Planning Committee and has chaired both the City’s Environmental Protection and Economic Development committees.

He’s a director for Metro Vancouver (MV) with participation in several of its committees including Regional Planning Committee, Waste Management Committee, Mayors’ Committee, and the Intergovernmental Committee. He also represents Metro Vancouver as a director on the Municipal Finance Authority.

He chairs MV’s Environment and Energy Committee.

Other affiliations and involvement includes:

• Vice Chair, TransLink Mayors’ Council
• Director, Emergency Communications for Southwest British Columbia Board, (E-Comm 9-1-1)

Mayor Trasolini is CEO of Pug Investments, Ltd., and a graduate of BCIT’s Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering Technology program and a member of the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of B.C. His work experience includes 10 years with Environment Canada in Environmental Protection Services.

Kim Baird

Chief Kim Baird’s ancestral name is Kwuntiltunaat.  The name is based on her great-great grandfather’s name Kwuntilum.

Kim is the elected Chief of the Tsawwassen First Nation, a position she has held for five terms, since 1999.

Chief Kim Baird was the first woman, who was not an MLA, in BC history to address the BC Legislature on October 15, 2007 when the British Columbia Treaty Legislation process was initiated.

Chief Baird had the honour of implementing British Columbia’s first urban treaty on April 3, 2009. This was the culmination of a number of successes she has achieved in her career. Chief Baird achieved another milestone in April, by becoming the first First Nation representative on the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors.

Chief Baird has received a number of prestigious awards over the past 2 years, including Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, the National Aboriginal Women in Leadership Distinction Award, Vancouver Magazine’s Power 50 Award, and Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Award.

Chief Baird sits on the Board of Directors for BC Hydro, First Nations Employment Society, the Vancouver Aboriginal Skills and Employment Program, Naut’sa mawt Tribal Council and the Joe Mathias Scholarship Foundation. 

She is also a busy working mother that has three daughters, Amy (age 5), Sophia (age 2), and her newest addition to the family Naomi, born in April 2009 with her husband Steeve.

Malcolm Brodie

Leading up to his position in the mayor’s seat, Malcolm Brodie was a practicing lawyer with a B. Comm. from the University of Britsh Columbia in 1973 and LLB in 1974.

He was elected to Richmond Council in 1996, and following a by-election, he was sworn in as mayor in Oct., 2001. He was re-elected as mayor in 2002 and again in 2005.

Mayor Brodie was appointed First Director to the Board of Directors of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now Metro Vancouver) and he currently serves on MV’s Land Use & Transportation Committee, Finance Committee, and MV’s Mayors’ Committee.

He represents MV on the Municipal Finance Authority and is also the Director Representative to the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (TransLink). Jan. 2006, he was elected as the organization’s Chair.

For his long-standing commitment to community service, he has been honoured with the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, and the Canada 125 Medal in 1992.

Other affiliations and involvement, past and present, include:

• Director, Richmond Board of Health;
• Director, Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games Bid Committee;
• Chair of Richmond’s General Purposes Committee; member of the Finance Committee;
• Board member, Gateway Theatre;
• ‘ex officio’ member of the four standing committees of council;
• Fundraising director, Richmond Caring Place;
• Richmond Sunrise Rotary Club (named a Paul Harris Fellow); Richmond Sunset Rotary Club; Richmond Chinatown Lions Club;
• Honorary member of the Richmond Asiana Lions Club;
• Richmond Chamber of Commerce;
• Canadian Cancer Society (Richmond unit) past president, fundraising chair.

Brenda Broughton

Brenda first served as Mayor of the Village of Lions Bay 1993-2002 and was elected Mayor again in 2008.

Brenda received a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University and completed her Masters in Counseling Psychology from the University of British Columbia.

Brenda is a pioneer in her approach to community based initiatives such as her role as creator and Charter Chair of the Howe Sound Community Forum. She served as Regional Transit Commissioner from 1997-1999.

For the last 10 years Brenda has owned the Lions Bay General Store & Cafe. She is also the President of Broughton Consulting Group.

Derek Corrigan

Mayor Derek Corrigan has been a Burnaby resident since 1977. He was first elected to Burnaby City Council in 1987, serving as a Councillor for 15 years until his election as Mayor in 2002.

Married to his wife Kathy for 31 years, they have raised four children in our community, all attending Nelson Elementary and Burnaby South High School.

Mayor Corrigan has a law degree from the University of British Columbia, obtained after 3 years of undergraduate study in political science and philosophy. He was called to the B.C. Bar in 1978.

Over his lengthly political career, Mayor Derek Corrigan has served on many key committees at the local, regional and national levels. He also served as the Chair of B.C. Transit from 1994-1997 assuming responsibility for all transit system in B.C. Mayor Corrigan currently sits on the Mayor's Council on Regional Transportation.

At present, Mayor Derek Corrigan is an ex-officio member of all Council Committees. As a long-time Director of Metro Vancouver (GVRD), he currently serves as Chair of the Land Use and Transportation Committee, Vice Chair of the Water Committee, and is a member of the Mayor's Task Force, the Sustainable Region Initiative Task Force, the Intergovernmental Committee and the Port Cities Committee. Metro Vancouver has also appointed Mayor Corrigan as a representative to the international Centre for Sustainable Cities and an Alternate Representative to the Western Transportation Advisory Council (WESTAC). He is also an appointed Director of the Municipal Finance Authority.

Mayor Derek Corrigan has a very strong history of community involvement as a coach for Burnaby Metro Club and Bunaby Minor Lacrosse and team parent for Burnaby Minor Hockey. He is very privileged to serve as the Honourary Chair for Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion and was the Honourary Chair for the Empty Bowls Campaign in 2005 and 2007. The mayor is a member of the North Burnaby Lions and the Royal Canadian Legion. He is also an Honourary Member of the Edmonds Lions Club.

Mayor Derek Corrigan has been recognized as a recipient of the Canada 125 medal for Community Service. He has also received special recognition awards from the Siri Guru Ravidass Temple and the Arul Migu Thurkaderi Hindu Society B.C. for community service.

Mayor Corrigan continues his commitment to the International Mayors for Peace organization and received a special recognition award for his participation in the United Nations Nuclear Non-Prolifieration Conference.

Ernie Daykin

Ernie Daykin was first elected Mayor in November 2008. Previously, he served as a city councillor for six years from 2002 – 2008. Erine and his wife owned and operated a Windsor Plywood franchise in Maple Ridge for 23 years. He is now working for the Baptist Housing Society in an administrative role, giving oversight to a Maple Ridge senior's building, as well as being involved in two new construction projects for the Society.

Ernie's council liaison roles are: Fraser Valley Regional Library Board, Metro Vancouver Waste Management Committee, Ridge Meadows Recycling Society, Maple Ridge Economic Advisory Commission, and the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows Parks & Leisure Services Commission.

Ralph Drew

Ralph Drew has been active in municipal politics since he chaired the Village of Belcarra’s incorporation committee in 1979.

Following Belcarra’s incorporation referendum, he was appointed by the provincial government to Belcarra’s Inaugural Council Aug. 1979, and elected Alderman Nov. 1979.

He has been Mayor of Belcarra for 24 years (elected Dec. 1983) and has been on the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors for the past 26 years and is the longest serving MV Director.

Ralph is presently Chair of the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee (LMTAC), and has served as Chair of that organization for the past five years.

During his time in politics, Mayor Drew’s professional career has been as Director of Technical Services for the Canadian Fishing Company from 1986 until 2006, when he opted to semi-retire.

As director of technical services, he was chair of the Industry Advisory Committee for the BCIT Fish Harvesting & Processing Program from 1991 to 1998, served three terms as chair of the Fisheries Council of British Columbia Technical Committee, and in 2004-2005 was president of the association of Pacific Fisheries Technologists.

He received two degrees from Simon Fraser University, Bachelor of Science (Honours Chemistry) in 1971, and a Masters of Science (Inorganic Chemistry) in 1973.

Other affiliations and involvement includes:

• 10 years as chemistry section supervisor of the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Fish Inspection Laboratory;
• Former quality assurance manager, Coca-Cola Bottling, Vancouver.

Catherine Ferguson

Catherine Ferguson was elected to White Rock City Council in 2005, and was elected Mayor in 2008. However, her inspiration for public service began much earlier.

Her father, George Ferguson, served as Mayor of Abbotsford for almost forty years and was one of the longest-serving Mayors in Canada.

Catherine studied business at Fraser Valley College, received a Business Certificate from Capilano College, and then took additional business courses at BCIT. She put the resulting business acumen to work, handling administration, financial statements, budgeting and audits for various private sector organizations. She was also a partner in a successful construction company for many years.

Since entering politics, Catherine has taken a common-sense approach to leadership and a keen interest in local economic issues. As a Councillor, she served as Council Liaison to both the White Rock-South Surrey Chamber of Commerce, and the White Rock Business Improvement Association. She is also a past chair of the City’s Economic Committee. Catherine was also very involved in the White Rock Tourism Strategic Plan.

At present, Catherine serves as a director with the Board of Metro Vancouver and is Chair of the City’s Intergovernmental Committee.

Other affiliations and involvement includes:

• Member of White Rock South Surrey Chamber of Commerce
• Member of White Rock Rotary Club
• Former Chair of the Canada Day by the Bay Committee
• Recognized federally and provincially for volunteerism

Catherine has also been a strong advocate in the fight against drunk drivers. She is a past director of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers Vancouver Chapter (MADD) and in 2005, was awarded the MADD Volunteer of the Year award.

Peter Frinton

Councillor Peter Frinton has been appointed the permanent delegate representing Bowen Island. Mr. Frinton was first elected to Bowen Island Council as part of its inaugural council in 1999. Since then he has served several terms as Councillor and Municipal Trustee.

Peter attended the University of British Columbia and received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and completed the Graduate Program in Agriculture/Resource Ecology.

In latter years, Peter has worked primarily in the fields of property management and special events. Currently he has a travel consultancy business focusing on Specialty Cruises and Expeditions.

For over 35 years Peter and his partner Carol have operated a small sheep farm on Bowen Island.

Pamela Goldsmith-Jones

She was born and raised in West Vancouver, but before Pamela Goldsmith-Jones settled into the mayor’s seat there, she would leave her mark on two other communities.

Mayor Goldsmith-Jones earned her Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of British Columbia in Political Science. Her Masters thesis focused on local government, with her original research sponsored by the Union of BC Municipalities.

She moved to North Vancouver in 1992 and was elected to council where she served one term, and was active on the Recreation Commission, Library Board and the Metro Vancouver Labour Relations Bureau.

In 2000, she relocated to San Francisco where she led a Marin County initiative to renovate the Stinson Beach Community Centre earning her the Marin County Board of Supervisors Award for volunteer service.

Back in West Vancouver, she served just one term as councillor for the District of West Vancouver before being elected mayor in 2005.

Other affiliations and involvement includes:

• Helped establish the North Shore Women’s Health Centre;
• Strong advocate for the arts;
• Former board member, Family Services of the North Shore;
• Played a pivotal role in the district passing a bylaw opposing cosmetic pesticides;
• Innovator in governance and citizen-driven leadership;
• Member, E-Comm Board;
• Chair, North Shore Task Force on Substance Abuse;
• Chair, West Vancouver Police Board.

Rick Green

Rick Green is serving his first term as the Mayor of the Township of Langley. Rick was a member of the Food Advisory Board for several years and owned a small grocery. He spent three years as an Aldermen at the Corporation of Delta at which time he also served on the GVRD Labour Relations Committee.

Mayor Green and his wife have lived in the Township for the past eleven years. They own a hobby farm where they enjoy training horses.

Lois Jackson

She was first elected to serve the people on council in 1971, and since then, Lois Jackson has maintained her long-standing commitment to public service.

She won the mayor’s seat in 1999, and is currently the chair of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (now Metro Vancouver) Board of Directors and Chair of the MV’s Mayors’ Committee.

She also chairs MV’s Port Amalgamation Task Force, and is a director with MV’s Labour Relations Bureau.

Mayor Jackson is an elected representative for the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee (LMTAC) and a representative for MV on the Western Transportation Advisory Committee.

During her tenure in public service, she’s been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Long Service Award in 2005.

She was honoured with the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal in 2005, and in 1993, was awarded the 125th Anniversary of the Canadian Confederation Medal for outstanding contribution to community service.

Other affiliations and involvement includes:

• Chair, Delta Police Board;
• Chair, Delta Standing Committee on Agriculture;
• Chair, Delta Standing Committee on Finance;
• Chair, Delta Standing Committee on Tourism and Economic Development.

Craig Keating

Councillor Craig Keating has been appointed the permanent delegate representing the City of North Vancouver. Councillor Keating is serving his fourth term on City Council since being elected for the first time in 1999.

Councillor Keating holds a PhD in History from McMaster University and has taught history at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and Langara College. His work has also been published in journals in Canada, the United States and Europe.

An avid outdoor enthusiast, Councillor Keating enjoys hiking, jogging, skiing, camping and kayaking.

Don MacLean

He was born in Boston, Ma., and after a brief stay in Prince Edward Island, Don MacLean moved to Toronto where he began a career in sales.

In 1971 he was transferred to Vancouver as regional sales manager for a large office supplies manufacturer and by 1977, he had entered into the general insurance field and today still owns and operates a successful insurance firm in Pitt Meadows.

A long time student of politics, he ran his first campaign in 1990 and was elected to Pitt Meadows Council.

After three terms as a councillor, he ran a successful campaign for mayor, and was elected Mayor of Pitt Meadows in 1999.

Since entering politics, he has served on many boards and committees including Ridge Meadows Parks & Leisure Services Commission and the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority.

Mayor MacLean also has a seat on the board of directors for Metro Vancouver and among his commitments to the MV board are, the Mayors’ Committee, a member of the Finance Committee as well as the Land Use and Transportation Committee.

Other affiliations and involvement includes:

• Director, E-Comm 9-1-1, Emergency Communications for Southwest British Columbia;
• Member, Municipal Finance Authority;
• CP Rail Citizens Advisory Panel;
• Ridge Meadows Joint Parks & Leisure Services Commission;
• Pitt Meadows Airport Society;
• President, Ridge Meadows Youth & Justice Advocacy Association;
• Joint Police Liaison Committee.

Greg Moore

Greg Moore is a lifelong resident of Port Coquitlam and is serving his first term as Mayor. Previously, he served two terms as a City Councillor from 2002-2008.

Greg’s past council committee appointments include Alternate Director, Metro Vancouver Board of Directors, Chair and Deputy Chair, Environmental Protection Committee, Council Liaison, Youth Advisory Committee and City Representative, School District #42 Municipal Liaison Committee.

Greg has earned a Masters of Business Administration (with emphasis in Digital Technology) from Royal Roads University and Bachelor Degree in Urban Geography/Planning from Simon Fraser University.

Gregor Robertson

Gregor Robertson was elected Mayor of Vancouver on November 15, 2008.

Gregor is committed to building a sustainable and prosperous future for Vancouver. Prior to entering politics, Gregor co-founded Happy Planet, and grew the Vancouver-based socially responsible company up to 50 employees in 10 years. Happy Planet produces organic juices, promotes health and nutrition, and supports family farms and communities. Happy Planet received the Ethics in Action Award in 2004, and was awarded the Vancouver Mayor's Environmental Award for exemplary achievement in 2003. For his achievements as a successful entrepreneur and community leader, Gregor was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” by The Globe and Mail in 2004.

In 2005, Gregor was elected MLA for Vancouver–Fairview and served as the Opposition Critic for Advanced Education and the Critic for Small Business and Revenue.

Gregor has a long record of involvement in the community. He has served on a number of boards, working for sustainable farming and forestry, and to protect wild salmon. Through his business, he's helped support over a thousand community organizations and events, from the Food Bank to the Folk Festival.

Gregor is an ardent bike commuter, and in his spare moments he plays soccer, explores the great outdoors, and gets musical.

Richard Stewart

Before becoming Mayor, Richard was a City of Coquitlam Council member and private sector communications consultant specializing in government relations and consumer housing issues. He is bilingual (English and French) and has lived all his life in Coquitlam.

Richard studied economics and business administration at Simon Fraser University. From 1985 to 1994, he was publisher/editor of a trade magazine, was a building technical consultant, and a consultant in government relations, corporate communications and public relations.

From 1994 to 1998, Richard was the Director of Corporate Communications for BC's largest builder of single-family homes. He has also served as Chair of the National Housing Economic Research Council in Ottawa, and as President of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of British Columbia.

He was elected MLA for Coquitlam-Maillardville in 2001 and was the appointed MLA Responsible for Francophone Affairs, member of the Government Caucus Committee on the Economy, and Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Education.

Richard was elected as Coquitlam City Councillor in 2005 and as Mayor in 2008, and currently sits as a director for Metro Vancouver. He has recently served as a director for the Lower Mainland Local Government Association and for the GVRD labour Relations Bureau.

Richard Walton

Richard Walton is a chartered accountant and business leader with membership in the B.C. Institute of Chartered Accountants and the B.C. College of Teachers.

He has more than 20 years of experience managing challenging economic realities and has utilized these skills to assist with the District’s long-term financial planning and effectively communicate financial issues to the public.

He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia and a Masters Degree in Education from Simon Fraser University.

After three years as a District of North Vancouver councillor and seven years as a North Vancouver school trustee (1986-1993), he was elected to the mayor’s position in 2005. During his time on council, he served on numerous boards and committees including the North Vancouver Recreation Commission, Joint Police Liaison Committee, Joint Use Planning Committee, the North Vancouver Arts and Cultural Commission and the North Shore Advisory Committee on Disability Issues and the Coho Festival.

In 2004, he co-founded the financially successful, community-driven World Mountain Bike Conference and Festival, and in 1999, chaired the B.C. Games for Athletes with a Disability.

Other affiliations and involvement includes:

• Provincial director appointee to Say Suth Khaw Yum Heritage Park / Indian Arm Provincial Park;
• Director, Fraser Basin Council;
• North Shore 2010 Leadership Committee;
• Director, Metro Vancouver Board, as well as being vice chair, Environment Committee, a member of the Parks Committee, the Ports Task Force and the Mayors’ Committee.

Dianne Watts

Dianne Watts is the first woman to be elected mayor of Surrey, British Columbia’s second largest city.

She was first elected mayor in 2005 after serving on Surrey City Council for nine years. Since taking the mayor’s seat, she has created multiple Mayor’s Task Forces to address key issues in Surrey. Among these is the Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety, whose efforts provided the foundation for the Surrey Crime Reduction Strategy. Other task forces include:

• 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games;
• Homelessness and Housing
• Health;
• Multiculturalism;
• Early Childhood Development and Literacy.

She has a strong background in the Surrey business community, as her family has owned and operated a manufacturing plant in the city for more than 30 years.

Mayor Watts currently sits as a director for Metro Vancouver and as a member of the Metro Vancouver Mayors’ Committee.

She has also represented Surrey on the Greater Vancouver Transportation Authority (Translink). Currently, she represents Surrey in the Big City Mayor’s Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Within this group, she is a member of the National Transit Strategy Committee, Public Safety Committee and the 1% Equivalence of the GST Committee.

Other affiliations and involvement includes:

• In 2001, Mayor Watts was honoured as the first elected official in the history of Surrey to become an Honorary Firefighter for her work with the Surrey Fire Service and Public Safety;
• In 2006, Mayor Watts received a further honour by being named an Honorary Fire Chief.

Wayne Wright

Wayne Wright was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, where he went on to graduate from the Windsor’s Teachers’ College, earning his permanent Teaching Certificate.

By 1969 he had relocated to the United States to work with one of the world’s leading food chains, and there, he instructed management trainees on all aspects of the business.

He was transferred to Sydney, Australia, where he continued teaching management skills.

Next, he moved to New Westminster in 1976 and assumed ownership of the Old World Fudge Company Ltd.

He has been involved with a number of community organizations including the Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Society, New Westminster Chamber of Commerce, Westminster Club, Simon Fraser Society for Community Living and other charitable groups.

He has been involved with a number of community organizations and in 2000, the entrepreneur organized the fundraising and building of the World’s Largest Tin Soldier with the Simon Fraser Society for Community Living. To complement that effort, he wrote and published a children’s book on the Tin Soldier with proceeds going to charity.

In 2000 Mayor Wright was named New Westminister Citizen of the Year, and in 2002, he was elected to the seat of mayor.

Other affiliations and involvement includes:

• Chair, New Westminster Police Board;
• Commissioner, Electrical Utility Commission;
• Metro Vancouver/TransLink director; committees include: Environment, Sustainable Region Initiative Task Force, Mayor’s Committee; and chair of the Housing Committee;
• Member of the Municipal Finance Authority;
• Premier’s Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions.

Village of Anmore

(bio and picture to follow)