About the Mayor

Karen Farbridge was re-elected as Mayor of the City of Guelph in 2006 and returned to office in the 2010 municipal election. She was first elected to Council in 1994 and previously served as Mayor in 2000-2003 and 2006-2010.

A resident of Guelph since 1979, Karen has an MSc and PhD in biology from the University of Guelph. In 2009, she attained the Chartered Director (C.Dir) designation from the Directors College, a joint venture of McMaster University and the Conference Board of Canada.

During her tenure in municipal politics, Karen has championed sustainable approaches to community growth and development with a strong commitment to citizen engagement.

In addition to serving on all Standing Committees of Council, Karen serves on the Guelph Police Services Board and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health Board. She chairs Guelph Municipal Holdings Inc. Karen also serves as Honorary Co-Chair of the Guelph Citizenship Committee, Honorary Chair of Pollination Guelph, and has participated in QUEST (Quality Urban Energy Systems of Tomorrow).

Karen also champions several initiatives including:

• Sustainable Solutions
• Mayor’s Taskforce on Community Energy
• Guelph Creates

Guelph Creates is a partnership between the Mayor’s Office, Musagetes, and theImprovisation, Community, and Social Practice (ICASP) research project. It aims to connect, promote, and build on Guelph’s existing creative strengths through initiatives that integrate creative thinking and practice. It will culminate in 2013 with two international initiatives that have their roots in Guelph: the Musagetes Café and the Improvisation, Community & Social Practice initiative’s World Artist Summit. Guelph Creates was founded on the principle that creativity can be one of a community’s greatest assets, as it strengthens a city’s beauty, resiliency, and sense of social justice. To find out more about the creative activities and practices of Guelph Creates partners, visit the web sites of Musagetes and Improvisation, Community, and Social Practice (ICASP).

In the past, Karen has served as an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph, teaching courses in political science and environmental policy, and for ten years was the Director of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group. In 2005, Karen was the recipient of the prestigious Women of Distinction Award from the YMCA-YWCA of Guelph in the business and professions category.