Glen Murray

Glen Ronald Murray (born October 26, 1957) is a Canadian politician and urban issues advocate who served as the 41st Mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba from 1998 to 2004, and was the first openly gay mayor of a large North American city.

Murray entered the 1989 Winnipeg municipal election as a city councillor candidate of the Winnipeg into the '90s alliance.

He was elected a city councillor at Fort Rouge ward in 1989 then re-elected twice.

A 1992 documentary film, A Kind of Family, followed the relationship of Murray with his foster son, a 17-year-old street kid.

Murray lives with his partner Rick Neves.

In the 1995 election, he defeated Terrence Halligan.

He lobbied the provincial government to create a municipal property tax credit program for heritage buildings, a program which was approved with all-party support at the Manitoba legislature.

In 1998, Murray left his councillor position to campaign as a Winnipeg mayoral candidate.

He was elected mayor on October 28, 1998, with 50.5% of the vote in a close race against grocer Peter Kaufmann, who received 45% of the vote.

Significant Winnipeg events during Murray's term included the 1999 Pan American Games and the C5 Summit, a joint initiative of urbanist Jane Jacobs and Allan Broadbent which gathered the mayors of five major Canadian cities.

The summit led to proposals that cities receive new and improved revenue streams, particularly from federal and provincial governments.

The effort to achieve this "New Deal" for cities was unsuccessful.

Murray worked closely with Aboriginal communities to propose new approaches on issues such as jobs, recreation, and public safety.

Formulated the city’s urban Aboriginal Policy, First Steps: Municipal Aboriginal Pathways.

This was a way to raise awareness surrounding Aboriginal people who live in the urban city of Winnipeg and create accessibility to civic services.

This policy framework represents the civic government’s commitment to establish a progressive and constructive relationship with the Aboriginal community.

Cultural, demographic, and socio-economic challenges have been addressed as a way to foster effective urban planning and ensure the wellbeing of the Aboriginal people.

Murray championed the establishment of the Thunderbird House in Winnipeg which serves as a place of healing and cultural preservation.

As a token of appreciation Murray was given an Eagle Feather by First Nations Leaders.

The Eagle Feather stands as the highest honour with great cultural and spiritual significance.

Murray was re-elected in 2002 over former councillor Al Golden.

In 2003, Murray participated in the days of caring by the United Way in Winnipeg by funding a project to build an indoor playhouse.

He subsequently moved to Toronto, Ontario, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Toronto Centre in 2010, serving until 2017.

In August 2010, he was appointed to the provincial cabinet as Minister of Research and Innovation. Murray was re-elected in October 2011, and appointed Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.

He resigned from cabinet on November 3, 2012 in order to run as a candidate in the 2013 Ontario Liberal Party leadership election.

He became Ontario Minister of Transportation and Minister of Infrastructure on February 11, 2013.

In a cabinet shuffle following the 2014 election, Murray was moved to the portfolio of Minister of the Environment and Climate Change.

He announced his resignation from Cabinet on July 31, 2017, and his resignation from the legislature, effective September 1, 2017, in order to become executive director of the Pembina Institute in Alberta.

He resigned from the Pembina Institute in September 2018 after serving as executive director for one year.

In 2020, Murray ran for the leadership of the Green Party of Canada, finishing fourth.

In June 2022, Murray announced his candidacy for the position of Mayor of Winnipeg in the October 26, 2022 Winnipeg municipal election.

He lost the election to Scott Gillingham.

Murray was born in Montreal, Quebec to a Scottish father and a Ukrainian mother.

While not being able to speak Ukrainian himself, he maintains close ties with the Ukrainian-Canadian community.

He attended John Abbott College and Concordia University and its School of Community and Public Affairs.

Prior to entering politics, he was active in human rights and community healthcare.

He led, with Margie Coghill, the successful campaign to include sexual orientation in the Manitoba Human Rights Code.

He helped establish Winnipeg's Village Clinic, the first integrated community based prevention, care, and treatment centre for HIV/AIDS in Canada.

Subsequently, he became the Clinic's Director of Prevention and Outreach programs working street involved and homeless people at high risk for HIV infection.

He was a founding member of the Canadian AIDS Society and worked as part of a team through the World Health Organization that developed an international strategy for the delivery community HIV prevention initiatives and coordinated the work of AIDS Service Organizations.