Christopher Murray is a Canadian civil servant who served as the

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city, in a "Mayor–council government" council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are sometimes referred to as the chief execu ...

for the

City of Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

from 2018 to 2022. Originally from

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Murray previously was the city manager of

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

, and he is the present chair of the Municipal Benchmarking Network of Canada. Murray was appointed as Toronto's city manager in June 2018 and assumed the role on August 13, 2018, following the departure of

Peter Wallace Peter James Wallace (born 16 October 1985) is a former Scotland international rugby league footballer who played for the Penrith Panthers and the Brisbane Broncos in the NRL. A New South Wales State of Origin representative, Wallace began his ...

, who was appointed secretary of the Treasury Board of Canada. He resigned as city manager of Toronto on August 19, 2022. Prior to assuming his role with the

, Murray had served as Hamilton's city manager for nearly a decade from 2009 to 2018.

Career

Murray is trained as a city planner and joined Hamilton-Wentworth's planning department in 1995, taking on the role of project manager and heading environmental planning, transportation and housing until his appointment as city manager in January 2009. Notable projects which Murray worked on in Hamilton include the

Red Hill Expressway The Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP) is a municipal expressway in the Canadian city of Hamilton, Ontario. The route connects the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway, Hamilton's second municipal expressway, to the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) near Hamilton H ...

, where he was project manager, developing Hamilton's 2012 to 2015 strategic plan, negotiations between the City of Hamilton and the Tiger Cats football franchise regarding their new stadium, area-rated taxation in amalgamated communities, and addressing various high-profile "culture" problems within the Hamilton public service.

City of Toronto

Following the departure of city manager Peter Wallace, who was appointed secretary of the Treasury Board of Canada,

John Tory John Howard Tory (born May 28, 1954) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 65th and current mayor of Toronto since 2014. After a career as a lawyer, political strategist and businessman, Tory ran as a mayoral candidate in the 2003 ...

, the mayor of Toronto, nominated Murray to be the new city manager. Prior to his appointment, Murray outlined various organizational changes he wished to make, including restructuring city divisions and creating a new chief of staff position. Murray announced on June 9, 2022, his intention to step down as city manager of Toronto. He officially vacated the position on August 19. Tracey Cook, a deputy city manager, acted in the role until the appointment of Paul Johnson on December 2.

Anti-Black racism

On June 4, 2020, following the

murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...

, Murray spoke out against anti-Black racism, saying "silence is not an option." Murray noted that he does not "worry that the next George Floyd will be me, my child or my family member", that "racialized and immigrant communities are providing Toronto with more front-line and personal support workers who put themselves at risk every day than other communities", and he encouraged city staff to "speak up and take action for change."

References

External links

Toronto city manager's webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Chris Living people Canadian city managers and chief administrative officers People from Fredericton People from Toronto Year of birth missing (living people)

Career

City of Toronto

Anti-Black racism

See also

References

External links