Gary Wong, BCA School Board Trustee

Wongleafletphoto2011 Gary Wong has been a resident of Burnaby for over 25 years and together with his wife have raised two children who both attended and graduated from Burnaby’s public schools.

Gary’s leadership as an activist with his union, where he works as a Business Agent with the United Steelworkers, led to his ongoing involvement in the community. His volunteer efforts with the Burnaby Public Library and with organizations like the Burnaby Family Life Institute and Vancouver Community Legal Assistance Society have shown Gary the value of getting involved and he stepped forward in 2008 and was elected as a Burnaby School Trustee. Gary was re-elected in 2011.

Working together with BCA School Trustees, Gary has risen to the challenge of minimizing the impact of underfunding from the provincial government and has worked to ensure Burnaby schools remain open and more schools are built. His contribution to developing effective policies and guidelines has been influenced by the numerous and significant voices of Burnaby parents, stakeholders whose main concerns are quality public education and leading-edge learning opportunities for their children. Along with his colleagues on Burnaby’s School Board, Gary has also taken particular interest in listening to student concerns to further enable safe and supportive environments that facilitate Burnaby’s next generation to reach their learning potential.

Board Committees:

Community Relations
Finance
Management
Policy

Community

1st Vice President, United Steelworkers, Local 1-2171
Vice Chair, Burnaby Public Library, Chair-Finance Committee
Trustee, Pacific Blue Cross, Health and Welfare Plan No. 1
Director, Burnaby Family Life Institute, Chair-Personnel Committee
Program Manager, Forest Renewal BC, Vancouver Transition Centre
Governor, Langara College, Chair Personnel Committee
Director, West Coast Plywood Co. Ltd., an employee owned venture
Director, Vancouver Community Legal Assistance Society
Task Force Co-coordinator, Canada Employment and Immigration Commission