About the Mayor
Karen Farbridge was re-elected as Mayor of the City of Guelph, Ontario in 2006. She was first elected to Guelph City Council in 1994, representing Ward 1. In 2000 she became the first female Mayor of Guelph, serving until 2003.
In addition to chairing Council meetings, Mayor Farbridge serves on the following committees and boards:
- Community Development and Environmental Services
- Finance, Administration and Corporate Services
- Emergency Services, Community Services and Operations
- Governance and Economic Development
- Guelph Hydro Board
- Guelph Junction Railway Board
- Guelph Police Services Board
- Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Health Unit Board
- Joint Social Services Committee
- Land Ambulance Committee
Prior to entering municipal politics Karen worked for 10 years as the Director of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (Guelph), a non-profit environmental and social justice organization based on the University of Guelph campus. She has also worked for the Office of V.P. Research and taught courses on sustainability, democracy and environmental policy at the University of Guelph.
Karen has an M.Sc and Ph.D in Biology from the University of Guelph. She has lived in Guelph since 1979, is married and has an 18 year old son.
