Councillor Colleen Jordan
Born in Pincher Creek Alberta, I graduated from the University of Alberta, with a degree in Education, and moved to Burnaby in 1976, where I have lived and worked ever since. While working as a media librarian in Burnaby school district library in the 1980s, I became increasingly aware of the importance to community of the services public employees provide – and particularly of the role the union plays in ensuring these services are provided and protected. Eventually, my involvement in the union led to my election as the full-time CUPE B.C. Secretary-Treasurer, a position I held for 14 years, until I retired in 2005.
While working for CUPE, I was active on many community boards, committees and projects, including serving as a Labour Committee representative on the United Way Campaign Cabinet. I am proud to be the recipient of a United Way Joe Morris Labour Community service Award. I also represented CUPE in discussions with the provincial government related to the implementation of the Community Charter, the legislation under which local governments conduct their work. During these years, I recognized the critical role municipal government plays – as the government closest to the people – to improve the lives of citizens and drive important policy changes.
I was first elected to Burnaby City Council in 2002. Since then, have enjoyed the many opportunities my role offers to work with citizens and to facilitate community involvement in City initiatives and policies. Burnaby was a great city in 2002 when I was first elected. It has always been my goal to keep it great and make it even better.
On a more personal note, I enjoy sports and gardening. When not attending meetings, I can usually be found gardening with the help of our two cats, but I have found lately that my garden is suffering in my pursuit of breaking the elusive 100 shots at one of our Burnaby golf courses.
Current Focus
As chair of the Community Development Committee, I am working closely with both the community and the committee to develop opportunities for a wide spectrum of housing options. Burnaby has always been a leader in providing a complete spectrum of housing options. Because of limited federal and provincial funding, it is a challenge to continue to provide the excellent range of housing options we are committed to offering in Burnaby, but we are determined to drive the policy changes required by the responsible levels of government, to ensure Burnaby citizens have the housing options and choices that make our City one of the world’s best.
As Burnaby continues to grow, with many significant new developments planned, completed or under way, there are also increasing options for business and comprehensive community developments. I look forward to continuing to work with the development, business and residential communities in each of our developing neighbourhoods to ensure each new project enhances neighbourhoods and provides the kind of excellent housing and business options we are proud to offer in Burnaby. I am particularly proud of the work the improvements we have made to the density bonus program, that allows developers create additional revenue, and provides the city with revenue and amenities that would otherwise b e a draw on the tax base. Through these programs we have be able to build some non-market housing, child care centres, community services space, and significant projects like the Tommy Douglas Library.
As Burnaby continues to develop, I look forward to helping to ensure the City has even more garden and cultured green spaces where everyone can enjoy flowers, shrubs and civic art and sculpture.
For me, another key focus is our Heritage Commission. Exclusively through gaming funds, with no impact on Burnaby’s tax base, Burnaby is able to fund heritage projects that help to ensure our City’s heritage is protected and enhanced. This summer, we are restoring the barn near the Ceperley Mansion (home of the Art Gallery) to ensure it can be appreciated by future generations, as well as by today’s visitors. Our initiative to offer free admission to the Burnaby Village Museum this summer is enabling more visitors than ever before to enjoy this beautiful, unique, historic Burnaby attraction. And we recently received an award for Burnaby’s Charting Change initiative, a valuable heritage project. Charting Change: An Interactive Atlas of Burnaby's Heritage charts the natural and cultural heritage of our community through the use of four interactive maps linking history and geography to reveal community.
Memberships and Community Links
- Director and past-chair, Board of Directors, Pacific Blue Cross
- Chair, Board of Directors, Community Savings Credit Union
- Council liaison, Planning and Building Department
- Chair, Community Development Committee
- Chair, Community Heritage Commission
- Chair, Mayor's Task Force on Graffiti
- Vice-chair, Traffic Safety Committee
- Member, Finance and Civic Development Committee
- Founding Board member, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
- Director, Metro Vancouver, Vice-chair, Metro Vancouver Finance Committee and member of Metro Vancouver Housing Committee
