Jeff Burch is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician, who was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

in the 2018 provincial election."Blue wave stops in Niagara "
''Niagara This Week'', June 7, 2018. He represents the electoral district of

Niagara Centre Niagara Centre (french: Niagara-Centre; formerly Welland) is a federal electoral district in the Niagara Region of Ontario that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1988 and since 1997. Demographics :''Accordi ...

as a member of the

Ontario New Democratic Party The Ontario New Democratic Party (french: link=no, Nouveau Parti démocratique de l'Ontario; abbr. ONDP or NDP) is a social-democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in Ontario following th ...

. Prior to his election to the legislature Burch was the executive director of Niagara Folk Arts, a non–profit social services agency, and served as city councillor for Merritton Ward for

St. Catharines City Council The St. Catharines City Council is the governing body of the City of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. The council consists of the mayor plus twelve elected councillors, with two councilors representing each of the six municipal wards. A deputy may ...

Background

Jeff Burch is a graduate from

Brock University Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bear ...

, with an honours BA in philosophy. Burch then spent three years as a graduate student and teaching assistant at Brock, teaching seminars in social issues and women's studies. He left his studies in 1996 after being elected president of a

United Steelworkers The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headquar ...

local union.

Politics

Burch ran as the Ontario New Democratic Party's candidate in St. Catharines in 1995, losing to Liberal Jim Bradley. He was elected as a city councillor in St. Catharines, Ontario, in 2006. He served from 2006 to 2014, including four years as budget chair. He ran for mayor of St. Catharines in 2014, losing to Walter Sendzik by fewer than 2000 votes. In February 2018, Burch won the NDP nomination in Niagara Centre. The riding has been an NDP stronghold for 44 years with Mel Swart, Peter Kormos and Cindy Forster holding the seat. On June 8, 2019, Burch won the seat. Burch currently serves as the Official Opposition critic for Municipal Affairs. Three months after his election in 2018, he scored a major victory by winning unanimous support for his motion to bring two-way all-day

GO Transit GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...

rail service to Niagara.

Electoral record

2014 St. Catharines Mayoral Election

2010 St. Catharines City Council Election - Ward 1 - Merriton

2006 St. Catharines City Council Election - Ward 1 - Meritton

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burch, Jeff Living people Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs 21st-century Canadian politicians St. Catharines city councillors Year of birth missing (living people)