Lorna Jackson (October 25, 1935 – April 5, 2002) was a local politician in

Vaughan Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...

for 28 years. During her career, she served as both a local and a regional councillor, as well as serving as the Mayor of Vaughan for 20 years. She died while in office in 2002.

Political career

Jackson was first elected as a councillor in 1974. She served six years until she was elected as a regional councillor in 1980. In 1982, Jackson was elected as the Town of Vaughan's second mayor. Jackson led the city council and staff through much rapid growth, as well as the transition from a town into a city in 1991. She continued to be re-elected as mayor for a total of seven terms until her death in 2002. In addition to her responsibilities as a member on the city council for Vaughan, Jackson also served on

York Regional Council York Regional Council is the political body for the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada. Created in 1970, it consists of 20 elected representatives plus the Regional Chair. The elected members are the mayors of each of its nine munici ...

for 22 years. She was a member of its health, finance, planning and economic development committees. Additionally, Jackson was a member of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, a former chair of the

York Regional Police The York Regional Police (YRP) are a law enforcement organization that serves over 1.1 million residents in the York Region of Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto. YRP was formed in 1971 from the police forces maintained by the nine municip ...

Services Board, served on the Greater Toronto Services Board, and a member of the board of directors of Hydro Vaughan Distribution Inc.

Causes

Jackson successfully led the lobby to have the Ontario Minor Hockey Association make face protection for children mandatory in recreational hockey. She supported the construction of a pedestrian bridge over the Humber River. She also was instrumental in promoting the design of the Woodbridge Pool to make it easier for physically challenged residents to learn how to swim. In her final years as mayor, Jackson sought to adjust the boundaries of the southern municipalities of York Region so that Markham's half of the community of Thornhill would be annexed into the city of Vaughan. As a result of a lawsuit filed against the

City of Toronto government The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its structure and powers are set out in the '' City of Tor ...

for the Keele Valley Landfill, Jackson lead

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

to close the site by the end of 2002. Stating in 2000 that Vaughan was "no longer willing to host", the landfill was closed on January 1, 2003 and filled with four feet of clay and topsoil.

Family

Jackson and her husband Al were married for 45 years. They had three children:

Linda Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...

, Jim and Jeff, and five grandchildren: Carolyn, Lindsay, Lauren, John-Paul and Lucas. Her daughter, Linda Jackson, was formerly Ward 2 Councillor, Regional Councillor, and Mayor for Vaughan.

Death

In November 2000, as she was being re-elected for her seventh term, Jackson was diagnosed with cancer. On April 5, 2002, she succumbed to her battle with cancer, twenty years after first being elected mayor of Vaughan. Then MPP

Greg Sorbara Gregory Samuel Sorbara (born September 4, 1946) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1995, and again from 2001 to 2012 who represented ridings north of Toronto in ...

described her death as a "power vacuum".

Legacy

Lorna Jackson Public School and Lorna Jackson Transformer Station are named for the late mayor. Additional, the new Vaughan City Hall, which opened in 2011, was dedicated in honour of Jackson's commitment to the city.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Lorna 1935 births 2002 deaths Mayors of Vaughan Ontario municipal councillors Women mayors of places in Ontario 20th-century Canadian women politicians