Lynne Elizabeth Woolstencroft (September 23, 1943 – May 13, 2013) was 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 and former mayor of

Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County, Ontario, Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto. Due to the c ...

Life and career

Woolstencroft was born in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. She held a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...

degree from the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

from

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

. She was married to Peter Woolstencroft, a university administrator and professor of political science at 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 ...

. She taught a wide range of classes, from advanced Shakespeare classes in high schools to basic literacy and life skills courses for adult learners. In addition to a long-term teaching career at Conestoga College in Waterloo Region, she taught courses on environment issues and problem-solving at the University of Waterloo. She received many awards for her political and community service, most notably the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Jack Young Civic Award, Waterloo Region's highest recognition for civic service. Her commitment to enhancing the quality of the environment in Waterloo resulted in the city being cited as the Greenest city in Ontario by TVO. The Grand River Conservation Authority awarded her a posthumous award in the fall of 2013 to honour her environmental leadership in her forty years of community work and public service.

Political career

In the 1985 Ontario election, she was a candidate for the

Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur de l'Ontario), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada ...

Waterloo North Waterloo North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which entitled each of north and s ...

, and was defeated. She also stood as the candidate for the

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (PC; french: Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) was a centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003. From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942, the ...

in the 1993 federal election in the riding of Waterloo, and in the 1997 federal election in the riding of Kitchener—Waterloo; she was defeated both times. Woolstencroft served as a trustee on Waterloo County Board of Education (1970–1972, 1974–1985), including being elected chair from 1979 to 1982. She also served as President of the Association of Large School Boards in Ontario in 1984 and 1985. Woolstencroft served as a councillor for the City of Waterloo for three terms, from 1985–1988, 1988–1991, and 1997–2000. In 2000 she was elected as Mayor of

. Her tenure as mayor was dominated by the RIM Park scandal, involving the financing of

RIM Park RIM Park is a 500-acre (2 km²) city park facility offering both outdoor and indoor amenities on the northeast side of the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, near the Eastbridge neighbourhood. Key facilities and features include the Manulif ...

with a loan from MFP Financial Services of

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

, a deal which had occurred before her time as mayor but which she had supported as a councillor. This ultimately led to a full judicial inquiry of the RIM Park deal, at which Woolstencroft testified and argued she had merely been a "peripheral councillor on this". During her time as mayor, the city of Waterloo entered into agreements that resulted in the establishment of the Perimeter Institute, the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and the Research and Technology Park at the University of Waterloo. In the municipal election of November 2003, Woolstencroft was defeated by former mayor and MPP

Herb Epp Herbert Arnold Epp (August 31, 1934 – February 25, 2013) was a politician from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1977 to 1990 and was a former three-term mayor of the City of Water ...

Death

Woolstencroft died May 13, 2013 at the age of 69.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woolstencroft, Lynne 1943 births 2013 deaths University of Calgary alumni Central Michigan University alumni Mayors of Waterloo, Ontario Politicians from Saskatoon Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidates in Ontario provincial elections Women mayors of places in Ontario 20th-century Canadian women politicians Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Candidates in the 1993 Canadian federal election Candidates in the 1997 Canadian federal election

Life and career

Political career

Death

See also

References