Marianne Wilkinson

Marianne Wilkinson
Constituency	Kanata North Ward
Ottawa City Councillor
Incumbent
Assumed office 2006
1st Mayor of Kanata
In office 1978–1985
Succeeded by	Des Adam
Reeve of March Township
In office 1976–1978
Preceded by	John Mlacak
Personal details
Born	Ottawa, Ontario
Spouse(s)	Bob

Marianne Wilkinson (née Berton) is the Councillor of Kanata North (Ward 4) in the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is a long-time resident of Kanata and a veteran public servant in that former city. From 1978 to 1985, she served as Kanata's first mayor following its incorporation. Before that, she was a member of the March Township council from 1970 to 1975. Wilkinson served as a mayor for seven years and regional councillor for nine years, and returned for a further term as a councillor in Kanata from 1991 to 1994. In 1994 she ran to represent Kanata at the Regional Municipality of Ottawa Carleton, but lost to Alex Munter. After Kanata was amalgamated with Ottawa in 2001, Wilkinson was elected to Ottawa City Council in the 2006 election. She was re-elected as councillor of Ward 4, Kanata North, in the 2010 and 2014 Ottawa municipal election.

Involvement in provincial politics

Wilkinson was originally a Progressive Conservative, and once served on the PC Party's Provincial Executive She left the party in 2003 after the PCs forced Kanata into an amalgamation with Ottawa. She ran in the 2003 provincial election as a Liberal and finished second against Norm Sterling with 23,466 votes (38.79%).

Kanata mayoral tenure and accomplishments

As an OC Transpo Commissioner, she brought transit services to the City of Kanata. She chaired various committees: Regional Planning, Waste Management, and Budget. Wilkinson was elected President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and holds a Masters in Management Studies from McGill University.

Wilkinson founded the Kanata North Business Park, known as “Silicon Valley North.” She negotiated the acclaimed 40% Open-Space Agreement (urban land in Ontario generally has a 5% open-space allotment) for Kanata North to protect Canadian Shield environmental lands, unique in the City of Ottawa, in the face of planned housing subdivisions. Wilkinson obtained Pinhey’s Point heritage property. She obtained the land for the Elsie Stapleford Childcare Centre and Walter Baker Park.

Wilkinson has considerable volunteer experience working for various groups: Community Resource Centre for Goulbourn, Kanata and West Carleton (Founder); Kanata Food Cupboard (Chair); Kanata-Beaverbrook Community Centre (President and Director); Canadian Federation of University Women Kanata(Founding member and President); Ottawa Talent Initiative (Chair); St. John’s Church (Warden); Kanata Choral Society (Founding President); Kanata Canada Day Committee (Founder); Western Community Resource Centre (Chair of Steering Committee); and Ottawa Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (member of Steering Committee).

Council priorities

Wilkinson has many initiatives she would like to implement as Councillor, including the creation of a Ward Council to bring local decision-making back to Kanata, consulting the community on development applications and budget priorities and controlling spending, supporting business including establishing a Kanata North Business Improvement area, completing the transitway to Kanata, building the Kanata North Recreation Complex, including raising $1.2 million for additions requested by the community, establishing a Kanata police station, closing the Carp Landfill, lobbying for a community health centre and more childcare spaces, completing Terry Fox Drive, enlarging the Beaverbrook library, making Kanata a reuse/recycling leader in Ontario, and preserving the special natural environment of Kanata.

References

External links

• Official webpage
• City biography