Carl Zehr (born ) is a former politician in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. He was the mayor of

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

from 1997 to 2014. Prior to that he was a city councillor from 1985 to 1994. As of 2014, he was the longest-serving mayor in Kitchener. He was a member of the Large Urban Mayors' Caucus of Ontario and served as its chair in 1999. He was also a member of the Big City Mayors Caucus (Canada) from 1997 to 2014.

Background

Zehr was born in

Baden, Ontario Baden ( ) is a suburban community and unincorporated place in Township of Wilmot, Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It has a population around 4,500 and was named after Baden-Baden, Germany. The approximate popu ...

and is a graduate of

Rockway Mennonite Collegiate Rockway Mennonite Collegiate (RMC) is an independent Mennonite high school located in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It offers academic programs for grade 7–12 students, various cross-cultural exchanges, as well as arts, athletics and tech progra ...

in Kitchener. His first job was in the accounting office of the Kitchener-Waterloo Hospital. He has served as a member of the board of numerous Kitchener area organizations: the Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro Board, the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality ...

, Centre in the Square, and Kitchener Housing Inc. Zehr is a

Certified General Accountant Certified General Accountant (CGA) is a professional designation granted to Canadian accountants. A person who meets the education, experience and examination requirements of the Certified General Accountants of Canada (CGA-Canada) is entitled to u ...

, a member and past chair of the

Certified General Accountants of Ontario Certified General Accountants of Ontario (CGA Ontario) is the professional association of certified general accountants in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is the largest affiliate organization of CGAs in the world, responsible for the accredit ...

, and a fellow (FCGA) of the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada. In 1991 he received the Ivy Thomas Award, which is bestowed upon an Ontario CGA who has achieved provincial recognition for outstanding public service or charitable involvement, including humanitarian acts. Zehr is also the 2006 recipient of the Ontario Pharmacist Association Visionary Award, and a Paul P. Harris Fellow of the

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

of Kitchener, in recognition of service to the community and club. Zehr appeared in a cameo role episode 2, season 1 of CTV's ''

Dan for Mayor ''Dan for Mayor'' is a Canadian television sitcom starring Fred Ewanuick that debuted on March 1, 2010 on CTV and The Comedy Network. It premiered the same night as ''Hiccups'', a show created by ''Corner Gas'' star Brent Butt that also features ...

''.

Political career

Zehr was the

Ontario Liberal Party The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; french: Parti libéral de l'Ontario, PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by interim leader John Fraser (Ontario MPP), John Fraser since August 2022. The party esp ...

candidate in Kitchener—Wilmot in the 1990 provincial election, but came in second to

New Democrat New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as cultural ...

Mike Cooper Mike Cooper may refer to: * Mike Cooper (musician) (born 1942), English blues and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter * Mike Cooper (politician) (born 1951), former politician in Ontario, Canada See also * Michael Cooper (disambiguation) * Mike Ho ...

. Zehr was elected as mayor in 1997. He previously served as a city councillor from 1985 to 1994. On February 4, 2014, Zehr confirmed he would not be seeking re-election in the 2014 municipal elections. He is the namesake of Carl Zehr Square, a public square at Kitchener City Hall.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zehr, Carl 1945 births Canadian accountants Canadian Mennonites Living people Mayors of Kitchener, Ontario Ontario Liberal Party candidates in Ontario provincial elections People from Wilmot, Ontario