York Region CEO is set to retire
Long-serving York politician Wayne Emmerson steps down as regional chair and CEO effective November 29 after the budget is approved.
“This has been a very difficult and personal decision, but the right one and at the right time for myself and my family,” he says. “When I first started in politics almost four decades ago, I could not have imagined this incredible journey.”
Emmerson, a fifth-generation resident of York Region, took over its top political post in 2014. “I am incredibly proud of everything we have accomplished over the past 10 years. Our successes are not ours alone, but the result of our collective commitment and desire to make our communities better places for all,” he says, thanking regional council colleagues past and present, Regional staff, the provincial and federal governments and “countless partners.”
Emmerson got his start in municipal politics when he was elected a Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Councillor in 1988, a role he held until 1994, when he was elected mayor – a post he held for 17 years. He is the sixth Chairman and CEO in York Region’s 53-year history and was re-elected to a third term following the election at the inaugural meeting of York Regional Council for the 2022 to 2026 term.
Throughout his tenure at York Region, Emmerson earned a reputation for supporting and advocating for regional council’s top priorities, including safe and reliable transportation options, a vibrant and thriving local economy, broadband connectivity, affordable housing and community safety.
In 2017, York Region welcomed the extension of the new TTC Line 1 Subway – the first subway network outside of the City of Toronto in 40 years. In 2021, Emmerson is credited for championing a historic 40 per cent federal capital funding commitment for the Yonge North Subway Extension, paving the way for York Region to move forward on this top transportation priority.
Emmerson’s pledge to offer stronger broadband now and for the future resulted in the establishment of YorkNet, a region-owned corporation that plans, builds, operates, manages and maintains a high-speed, dark fibre network across York. Buoyed by a $63-million federal investment, YorkNet will further expand the Region’s dark fibre network to more than 5,000 underserved homes and businesses during this term of Council.
Under Emmerson’s leadership, waste diversion programs have diverted more than 90 per cent waste from landfills and the Senior Strategy has set a course of action to support the aging population over the next 10 to 20 years. Tools were put in place to enhance community safety and well-being.
Emmerson is an ex-officio member of all regional committees: he is chair of the York Regional Police (YRP) Services Board, CEO of the York Region Rapid Transit Board, member at large of the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and co-chair of Toronto Global. He has also served as a board member for several organizations, including Markham-Stouffville Hospital, Greater Toronto Area Mayors’ Committee, the Greater Toronto Services Board (2001) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
He worked with YRP, the Toronto Region Conservation Authority and other community agencies and organizations, to develop York Region’s Community Safety Village, a nationally recognized interactive educational facility where children learn about fire, traffic and personal safety.
In 2012, Chairman Emmerson received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in honour of his significant political contributions. “As I move toward a new chapter in my life, I look forward to spending more time with family and focusing on personal priorities,” Emmerson says.
The regional clerk will bring a report to the November 7th York Region Committee of the Whole meeting outlining the procedural process and proposed timelines for appointing his successor.
Photo: Wayne Emmerson got his start in municipal politics when he was elected a Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville Councillor in 1988, a role he held until 1994 when he was elected mayor – a post he held for 17 years.