Geoff Meggs is a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

politician, who served on

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

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, borough counc ...

from 2008 to 2017. He was first elected in the 2008 municipal election, and resigned his seat on city council in 2017 to accept a job as

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

John Horgan John Joseph Horgan (August 7, 1959 – November 12, 2024) was a Canadian politician and diplomat who served as the 36th premier of British Columbia from 2017 to 2022 and the ambassador of Canada to Germany from 2023 to 2024. He led the Briti ...

, the premier of British Columbia.

Background

Meggs was born in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and grew up in Willowdale,

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. His father, who was trained as an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

, was a broadcaster with the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

, and his mother was a

nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

who retired to become a

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...

."Geoff Meggs: Articulate, Experienced City Council Hopeful"
, ''

Vancouver Observer ''The Vancouver Observer'' is an independent online newspaper. The site was founded in 2006 by journalist Linda Solomon as an online platform for Vancouver bloggers, writers, reporters, photographers and filmmakers. Novelist Ruth Ozeki was invo ...

'', October 20, 2008. Meggs graduated from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. After graduating he joined the

Canada World Youth Canada World Youth (CWY, in , JCM) was an international non-profit organization dedicated to providing youth with a voluntary opportunity to learn about other communities, cultures and people while developing leadership and communications skills. ...

exchange program and spent time in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. He eventually relocated to

in 1976."About Geoff Meggs"
, ''Tideline Communications Website'', Accessed August 30, 2009. Meggs' career includes time as a journalist, a communications director in the offices of former

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Glen Clark Glen David Clark (born November 22, 1957) is a Canadian retail executive and former politician who served as the 31st premier of British Columbia from 1996 to 1999. Early life and education Clark attended independent Roman Catholic schools, na ...

and former Vancouver mayor

Larry Campbell Larry W. Campbell (born February 28, 1948) is a Canadian politician who was the 37th mayor of Vancouver, Canada, from 2002 until 2005, and a member of the Senate of Canada from 2005 until his retirement in 2023. Before he was mayor, Campbe ...

, an executive director of the BC Federation of Labour, and president of Tideline Communications. He is the author or co-author of four published books, including ''Salmon: The Decline of the West Coast Fishery'' (Douglas & McIntyre, 1991), which won the 1992 Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing, and ''Cork Lines and Canning Lines; the Glory Years of Fishing on the West Coast'', with Duncan Stacey (Douglas & McIntyre, 1992).

Politics

In 2002 when the

Coalition of Progressive Electors The Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE) is a municipal political party in the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia. It has traditionally been associated with tenants, environmentalists, and the labour movement. COPE is generally gu ...

were elected with a majority to

Vancouver City Council Vancouver City Council is the governing body of Vancouver, British Columbia. The council consists of a mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city ...

, their party's caucus became divided, and Meggs ran mayor

's fundraising group, the "Friends of Larry Campbell". Later, Meggs ran as part of the

Vision Vancouver Vision Vancouver is a green liberal municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Vision was formed in the months leading up to the 2005 municipal election. Formation Vision was founded by former Coalition of Progressi ...

slate in the 2008 election."Election Results: November 15, 2008"
''Vancouver City Election Results Website'', Accessed August 30, 2009. He received 49,538 votes, in ninth place out of a field of 32 candidates for Vancouver councillor, the fewest votes among the seven elected Vision Vancouver councilors."Racism is alive and well in Vancouver municipal politics"
''

Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

'', November 16, 2008. In 2011, Meggs was re-elected as a Vision Vancouver city councillor with 56,183 votes, sixth out of a field of 40 candidates. In June 2014, Meggs faced a court petition to remove him and fellow councillor

Kerry Jang Kerry Jang () is a Canadian politician and psychologist. He previously served as councillor on Vancouver, British Columbia's City Council between 2008 and 2018. From 2013, he also represented the city of Vancouver on the Greater Vancouver Regional ...

from office for allegedly violating rules on conflict of interest in connection with the rezoning of a public housing project.''Court petition seeks removal of Kerry Jang and Geoff Meggs from Vancouver city council''
''

'', 23 June 2014

Family

Meggs and his wife, Jan O’Brien, live with his daughter Claire in

False Creek False Creek () is a short narrow inlet in the heart of Vancouver, separating the Downtown Vancouver, Downtown and West End, Vancouver, West End list of neighbourhoods in Vancouver, neighbourhoods from the rest of the city. It is one of the four ...

."About Geoff"
''Geoff Meggs Website'', Accessed August 30, 2009. Their oldest daughter, Caitlin, lives and works in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

Works

* 2018: ''Strange New Country: The Fraser River Salmon Strikes of 1900–1901'', 236 pages. Harbour Publishing. * 2012: ''The Art of the Impossible: Dave Barrett and the NDP in Power, 1972-1975'' (co-authored with Rod Mickleburgh), Harbour Publishing. * 1995: ''Salmon: The decline of the British Columbia fishery'', 274 pages. Douglas & McIntyre. * 1992: ''Cork Lines and Canning Lines'' (co-authored with Duncan Stacey). Douglas & McIntyre.

References

External links

Geoff Meggs
at Vancouver City Council {{DEFAULTSORT:Meggs, Geoff Living people Vision Vancouver councillors Journalists from Ontario Journalists from British Columbia 1951 births 21st-century Canadian municipal councillors