Milton’s Gord Krantz, Canada’s longest-serving mayor, seeks re-election in 2022
Published April 1, 2022 at 4:40 pm
The longest-serving mayor in Canadian history, Milton’s Gord Krantz, is officially seeking re-election in 2022.
This past December, Krantz, 84, celebrated his 41st anniversary as mayor of the Town of Milton, making him the longest-serving mayor in a major municipality in Canada’s history.
In total, Krantz has been re-elected for 21 terms; eight as councillor and 13 as mayor, officially surpassing now retired, Hazel McCallion, who served as Mississauga’s mayor for 36 years.
In a statement to insauga, the mayor confirmed his reason for seeking re-election is simply because he loves what he does.
“In support of democracy, my announcement and my intention to seek re-election gives people a choice. I love what I do,” Krantz told insauga.
“There are always challenges and I’m always up for a challenge. Where you live, work and play, elected people like myself can have an impact on that.”
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Krantz served as a town councillor for 15 years beginning in 1965 and was elected mayor in the Municipal Elections of 1980.
During his years as a councillor, Milton’s population size was under 10,000.
The 2021 census released by Statistics Canada revealed that since 2016, the Town of Milton grew by a total of 20.7 per cent, bringing the population to 132,979 from 110,128.
With targeted numbers of 238,000 by 2031 and 335,000 by 2051, Krantz told insauga that one of the Town’s priorities will remain planning for the future.
According to Krantz, the Town of Milton, along with Halton Region as a whole, has dealt with the growth “very well” over the years.
“Future growth in Milton was inevitable, so philosophically, knowing growth was going to happen, you have to deal with the growth rather than the growth dealing with you. In Milton, we are committed to growing in a deliberate and strategic way,” said Krantz.
As a result, Krantz emphasized the importance of ensuring that Milton remains a place of possibility and continues to become “a complete community with an exceptional quality of life” that is attractive to both businesses and citizens.
“We are planning to manage the growth in a financially sustainable way while investing in the infrastructure required to support our community,” said Krantz, who used the planned Milton Education Village as an example.
The MEV, which will bring Laurier, Conestoga and Hal-Tech together as partners, will help create a well-educated and prosperous community, according to the mayor.
“This is a vision we have had for many years and I look forward to watching it come to fruition in the next couple of years.”
Photo: Town of Milton
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