Herb Epp
Encyclopedia
Herbert Arnold "Herb" Epp (born August 31, 1934) is a retired politician from Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...

 as a Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

 from 1977 to 1990 and is a former three-term mayor of the City of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

.

Political career

He was successful in local politics, serving as an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 in Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

 from 1968 to 1974, and two terms as the city's mayor from 1975 to 1977.

Epp ran for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 in the 1968 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...

 as a Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 candidate in the riding of Waterloo
Waterloo (electoral district)
Waterloo was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1979. From 1973 to 1976, it was known as Waterloo—Cambridge...

, finishing second to Max Saltsman
Max Saltsman
Samuel Mayer "Max" Saltsman was a Canadian businessman and politician for the social-democratic New Democratic Party, and served as a Member of Parliament for the Waterloo South, Waterloo and Waterloo–Cambridge electoral districts from 1964-1979...

 of the NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...

 in a tight, three-way race.

Starting in 1977
Ontario general election, 1977
The Ontario general election of 1977 was held on June 9, 1977, to elect the 125 members of the 31st Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....

, he was elected four times to the Ontario legislature, representing the constituency of Waterloo North
Waterloo North (provincial electoral district)
Waterloo North was a provincial electoral district represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from Confederation in 1867 until 1999.It was abolished in 1999 when provincial ridings were defined to have the same borders as federal ridings...

, and winning each time by a healthy margin. Epp was re-elected in 1981
Ontario general election, 1981
The Ontario general election of 1981 was held on March 19, 1981, to elect members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....

, and again in 1985
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...

 when the Liberals
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

 formed the government and Epp served as parliamentary assistant to the treasurer from 1985 to 1987. Epp was re-elected in 1987
Ontario general election, 1987
The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the 34th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The governing Ontario Liberal Party, led by David Peterson, was returned to power with a large majority...

, defeating future Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...

 cabinet minister Elizabeth Witmer
Elizabeth Witmer
Elizabeth Witmer is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1990, originally representing Waterloo North and later Kitchener—Waterloo for the Progressive Conservative Party.Witmer moved with her family to Ontario at a young age...

, but was not named to the cabinet of David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....

. He served as chairman of the Liberal caucus from 1985 - 1987 and retired from the legislature in 1990.

In 1996, he supported Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....

's successful bid to lead the Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

.

Re-entering politics after a 13-year break, Epp was easily elected to a third term as mayor of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

 in November 2003, receiving double the number of votes cast for incumbent Lynne Woolstencroft
Lynne Woolstencroft
Lynne E. Woolstencroft is a Canadian politician and former mayor of Waterloo, Ontario.- Life and career :Woolstencroft was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan...

. During his term, he initiated the multi-million dollar development of Waterloo Square in the core of Uptown Waterloo and a multi-million dollar library/YMCA project on University of Waterloo lands on the west side of the city. This 98 year land lease included lands which would favour multiple sports fields to serve primarily the youth of Waterloo. He ran for re-election in November 2006, but was defeated by political newcomer Brenda Halloran
Brenda Halloran
Brenda Halloran is a Canadian politician, currently serving as mayor of Waterloo, Ontario. She was first elected in the 2006 municipal election, defeating incumbent mayor Herb Epp and former mayor Brian Turnbull...

.

Personal

Born in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

 and raised in Ontario, Epp studied political science and history and received his BA degree from Waterloo Lutheran University in 1961. He went on to receive a Masters of Education degree from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 in 1972. Epp worked as a teacher and guidance counsellor for fifteen years with the Waterloo County Board of Education
Waterloo Region District School Board
Waterloo Region District School Board is the public school board for the Region of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It operates 103 elementary schools, 16 secondary schools, and other facilities, serving 60,000 students in the Region of Waterloo. It has approximately 5500 staff and a budget of $675...

 and worked occasionally as a supply teacher after finishing his career in provincial politics.

Along with teaching, Epp sold real estate starting in 1978 and maintained his realty licence through his 13 years at Queen's Park. During his absence from politics from 1990-2003, Epp returned to real estate and was an associate broker for Re-Max Realty in Waterloo.
Herbert Arnold "Herb" Epp (born August 31, 1934) is a retired politician from Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...

 as a Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

 from 1977 to 1990 and is a former three-term mayor of the City of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

.

Political career

He was successful in local politics, serving as an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 in Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

 from 1968 to 1974, and two terms as the city's mayor from 1975 to 1977.

Epp ran for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 in the 1968 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...

 as a Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 candidate in the riding of Waterloo
Waterloo (electoral district)
Waterloo was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1979. From 1973 to 1976, it was known as Waterloo—Cambridge...

, finishing second to Max Saltsman
Max Saltsman
Samuel Mayer "Max" Saltsman was a Canadian businessman and politician for the social-democratic New Democratic Party, and served as a Member of Parliament for the Waterloo South, Waterloo and Waterloo–Cambridge electoral districts from 1964-1979...

 of the NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...

 in a tight, three-way race.

Starting in 1977
Ontario general election, 1977
The Ontario general election of 1977 was held on June 9, 1977, to elect the 125 members of the 31st Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....

, he was elected four times to the Ontario legislature, representing the constituency of Waterloo North
Waterloo North (provincial electoral district)
Waterloo North was a provincial electoral district represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from Confederation in 1867 until 1999.It was abolished in 1999 when provincial ridings were defined to have the same borders as federal ridings...

, and winning each time by a healthy margin. Epp was re-elected in 1981
Ontario general election, 1981
The Ontario general election of 1981 was held on March 19, 1981, to elect members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....

, and again in 1985
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...

 when the Liberals
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

 formed the government and Epp served as parliamentary assistant to the treasurer from 1985 to 1987. Epp was re-elected in 1987
Ontario general election, 1987
The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the 34th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The governing Ontario Liberal Party, led by David Peterson, was returned to power with a large majority...

, defeating future Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...

 cabinet minister Elizabeth Witmer
Elizabeth Witmer
Elizabeth Witmer is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1990, originally representing Waterloo North and later Kitchener—Waterloo for the Progressive Conservative Party.Witmer moved with her family to Ontario at a young age...

, but was not named to the cabinet of David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....

. He served as chairman of the Liberal caucus from 1985 - 1987 and retired from the legislature in 1990.

In 1996, he supported Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....

's successful bid to lead the Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

.

Re-entering politics after a 13-year break, Epp was easily elected to a third term as mayor of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

 in November 2003, receiving double the number of votes cast for incumbent Lynne Woolstencroft
Lynne Woolstencroft
Lynne E. Woolstencroft is a Canadian politician and former mayor of Waterloo, Ontario.- Life and career :Woolstencroft was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan...

. During his term, he initiated the multi-million dollar development of Waterloo Square in the core of Uptown Waterloo and a multi-million dollar library/YMCA project on University of Waterloo lands on the west side of the city. This 98 year land lease included lands which would favour multiple sports fields to serve primarily the youth of Waterloo. He ran for re-election in November 2006, but was defeated by political newcomer Brenda Halloran
Brenda Halloran
Brenda Halloran is a Canadian politician, currently serving as mayor of Waterloo, Ontario. She was first elected in the 2006 municipal election, defeating incumbent mayor Herb Epp and former mayor Brian Turnbull...

.

Personal

Born in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

 and raised in Ontario, Epp studied political science and history and received his BA degree from Waterloo Lutheran University in 1961. He went on to receive a Masters of Education degree from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 in 1972. Epp worked as a teacher and guidance counsellor for fifteen years with the Waterloo County Board of Education
Waterloo Region District School Board
Waterloo Region District School Board is the public school board for the Region of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It operates 103 elementary schools, 16 secondary schools, and other facilities, serving 60,000 students in the Region of Waterloo. It has approximately 5500 staff and a budget of $675...

 and worked occasionally as a supply teacher after finishing his career in provincial politics.

Along with teaching, Epp sold real estate starting in 1978 and maintained his realty licence through his 13 years at Queen's Park. During his absence from politics from 1990-2003, Epp returned to real estate and was an associate broker for Re-Max Realty in Waterloo.
Herbert Arnold "Herb" Epp (born August 31, 1934) is a retired politician from Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...

 as a Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

 from 1977 to 1990 and is a former three-term mayor of the City of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

.

Political career

He was successful in local politics, serving as an alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 in Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

 from 1968 to 1974, and two terms as the city's mayor from 1975 to 1977.

Epp ran for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 in the 1968 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1968
The Canadian federal election of 1968 was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 28th Parliament of Canada...

 as a Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 candidate in the riding of Waterloo
Waterloo (electoral district)
Waterloo was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1968 to 1979. From 1973 to 1976, it was known as Waterloo—Cambridge...

, finishing second to Max Saltsman
Max Saltsman
Samuel Mayer "Max" Saltsman was a Canadian businessman and politician for the social-democratic New Democratic Party, and served as a Member of Parliament for the Waterloo South, Waterloo and Waterloo–Cambridge electoral districts from 1964-1979...

 of the NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...

 in a tight, three-way race.

Starting in 1977
Ontario general election, 1977
The Ontario general election of 1977 was held on June 9, 1977, to elect the 125 members of the 31st Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....

, he was elected four times to the Ontario legislature, representing the constituency of Waterloo North
Waterloo North (provincial electoral district)
Waterloo North was a provincial electoral district represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from Confederation in 1867 until 1999.It was abolished in 1999 when provincial ridings were defined to have the same borders as federal ridings...

, and winning each time by a healthy margin. Epp was re-elected in 1981
Ontario general election, 1981
The Ontario general election of 1981 was held on March 19, 1981, to elect members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....

, and again in 1985
Ontario general election, 1985
The Ontario general election of 1985 was held on May 2, 1985, to elect members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada...

 when the Liberals
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

 formed the government and Epp served as parliamentary assistant to the treasurer from 1985 to 1987. Epp was re-elected in 1987
Ontario general election, 1987
The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the 34th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.The governing Ontario Liberal Party, led by David Peterson, was returned to power with a large majority...

, defeating future Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...

 cabinet minister Elizabeth Witmer
Elizabeth Witmer
Elizabeth Witmer is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1990, originally representing Waterloo North and later Kitchener—Waterloo for the Progressive Conservative Party.Witmer moved with her family to Ontario at a young age...

, but was not named to the cabinet of David Peterson
David Peterson
David Robert Peterson, PC, O.Ont was the 20th Premier of the Province of Ontario, Canada, from June 26, 1985 to October 1, 1990. He was the first Liberal premier of Ontario in 42 years....

. He served as chairman of the Liberal caucus from 1985 - 1987 and retired from the legislature in 1990.

In 1996, he supported Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....

's successful bid to lead the Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...

.

Re-entering politics after a 13-year break, Epp was easily elected to a third term as mayor of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

 in November 2003, receiving double the number of votes cast for incumbent Lynne Woolstencroft
Lynne Woolstencroft
Lynne E. Woolstencroft is a Canadian politician and former mayor of Waterloo, Ontario.- Life and career :Woolstencroft was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan...

. During his term, he initiated the multi-million dollar development of Waterloo Square in the core of Uptown Waterloo and a multi-million dollar library/YMCA project on University of Waterloo lands on the west side of the city. This 98 year land lease included lands which would favour multiple sports fields to serve primarily the youth of Waterloo. He ran for re-election in November 2006, but was defeated by political newcomer Brenda Halloran
Brenda Halloran
Brenda Halloran is a Canadian politician, currently serving as mayor of Waterloo, Ontario. She was first elected in the 2006 municipal election, defeating incumbent mayor Herb Epp and former mayor Brian Turnbull...

.

Personal

Born in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

 and raised in Ontario, Epp studied political science and history and received his BA degree from Waterloo Lutheran University in 1961. He went on to receive a Masters of Education degree from the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 in 1972. Epp worked as a teacher and guidance counsellor for fifteen years with the Waterloo County Board of Education
Waterloo Region District School Board
Waterloo Region District School Board is the public school board for the Region of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It operates 103 elementary schools, 16 secondary schools, and other facilities, serving 60,000 students in the Region of Waterloo. It has approximately 5500 staff and a budget of $675...

 and worked occasionally as a supply teacher after finishing his career in provincial politics.

Along with teaching, Epp sold real estate starting in 1978 and maintained his realty licence through his 13 years at Queen's Park. During his absence from politics from 1990-2003, Epp returned to real estate and was an associate broker for Re-Max Realty in Waterloo.

Footnotes

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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