Colleen Jordan, BCA Burnaby City Councillor

colleenjordanportrait2011 Colleen Jordan has lived and worked in Burnaby since 1976. She was first elected to Council in 2002 and re-elected in 2005, 2008 and 2011.

Colleen’s expertise and experience as a Burnaby City Councillor stems from her community activism and participation on numerous community boards, committees and projects, including her role as an elected officer for 14 years with one of British Columbia’s largest labour unions. Her extensive contribution as a member of the United Way Campaign Cabinet, recognized with the United Way’s Joe Morris Community Service Award, has brought a heightened focus to both Council and the community at large of the important role civic government plays on an everyday basis in the lives of citizens.

During her working career, Colleen was a media librarian in the Burnaby school district where she saw first hand the critical role public service employees play in providing quality services. Realizing the connection between good public services and great communities, she became actively involved in her union to ensure valuable public services and the jobs and community benefits they create are protected. Through her years of dedicated activism, including representing her union in discussions with the provincial government to facilitate the “Community Charter” (legislation under which local governments conduct their work), she was elected as the full-time Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE BC – a position she held until her retirement in 2005.

A leader in driving important policy changes, Colleen has been instrumental in working with citizens and community groups to facilitate further involvement in important City initiatives and policies.

Serving as the Chair of the City’s Community Development Committee, Colleen has played an integral leadership role in the careful planning and implementation of a comprehensive growth strategy that benefits Burnaby’s business, residential and neighbourhood communities. She has helped develop strategic initiatives that have brought added revenue to the City while securing much needed neighbourhood benefits such child care centres, spaces for community services and significant well-used community facilities such as the new Tommy Douglas Library in the Edmonds area.

Together with her BCA colleagues on Council and with significant community input, Colleen is determined to ensure Burnaby citizens continue to have a wide spectrum of housing options that make Burnaby such a great place to live.

Colleen is a strong proponent of community involvement and consultation in reaching goals that provide benefit to everyone in the City. Her role on Burnaby’s Heritage Commission has facilitated award-winning heritage projects exclusively through the use of gaming funds, ensuring no impact on Burnaby’s tax base.

Colleen is an avid golfer and gardener and remains a dedicated community activist.

Past Council Appointments:

Chair, Community Development Committee
Chair, Community Heritage Commission
Chair, Mayor's Task Force on Graffiti
Vice-chair, Traffic Safety Committee
Member, Finance and Civic Development Committee
Council liaison, Planning and Building Department
Director, Metro Vancouver, Vice-chair, Metro Vancouver Finance Committee and member of Metro Vancouver Housing Committee

Community Accomplishments:

Chair, Board of Directors, Community Savings Credit Union
Founding Board member, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Director and past-chair, Board of Directors, Pacific Blue Cross

In January, 2012, Councillor Jordan was appointed to the following:

Liaison - Planning & Building Department
Local Court of Revision - Representative
Finance and Civic Development Committee - Vice Chair
Community Heritage Commission - Chair
Mayor's Task Force on Graffiti - Chair