Jack Young Civic Award presentation (1)

Waterloo Region – Regional Chair Ken Seiling presented Jack Young Civic Awards to former Regional Councillors William (Bill) Strauss, Carl Zehr and Jane Brewer (posthumously), and to retired Police Chief Larry Gravill, on behalf of Regional Council this evening. 

The Jack Young Civic Award is the Region’s highest honour and is presented to individuals in Waterloo Region who exemplify the high standards of political and civic life exhibited by Jack A. Young – the first Chair of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo – during his years of public service. It is a uniquely Region of Waterloo Award that celebrates and recognizes the contributions of people directly connected to Regional government and its programs and services, or Regionally created or administered organizations.

“The selection committee was struck by the broad scope and length of time of the recipients’ involvement in our community,” said Ken Seiling, Regional Chair. “The contributions of Jane, Larry, Bill and Carl and during the accumulative 130 years of their Regional public service have had a lasting and positive impact on the citizens of Waterloo Region.” 

Jane Brewer was known for her fair, thoughtful and even-handed approach to politics. She served on Regional Council for 32 years, including her initial appointment in 1982. She was elected as Mayor of Cambridge in 1988, serving in that capacity until 2000, when she was directly elected by Cambridge residents to represent them on Regional Council. She could be strong without being combative. Brewer was always a Cambridge booster who also understood how her city fit within the larger Regional government. Brewer, who passed away on August 22, 2017 at the age of 93, was so devoted to her constituents that she only left public office in 2014 – at age 90 – because she was forced by illness. However, that didn't stop more than 4,000 people voting for her in the municipal election that fall. Jane was honoured with the Cambridge and North Dumfries Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. She was famous for working long hours in her prime and was known as an old-school politician who rarely missed a community barbecue, festival or parade.

Larry Gravill joined the Waterloo Regional Police Service in 1973, holding several progressively responsible positions until he was appointed Police Chief in 1992, a position he held until his retirement in 2007. He is credited with numerous innovative policing initiatives but particularly the operationalizing and championing of the Community Policing Model, introduced by his predecessor, Harold Basse. This model has been adopted across the country. In 2001, retired Police Chief Gravill was recognized for his outstanding service and leadership to the policing profession and invested as a Commander of the Order of Merit of Police Forces. In June 2014, he was appointed to the position of Citizenship Judge, serving in that capacity for three years. During his career, Larry was instrumental in many initiatives including the development of the Waterloo Region Children’s Safety Village – which celebrates 25 years this year – providing quality hands-on education to elementary school-aged children. He has served as Honourary Chair of the Kitchener Waterloo United Way campaign and continues to be involved with the local Rotary.

William (Bill) Strauss served as a Councillor, first in the Township of Wellesley from 1969 to 1974, and later in the Township of Woolwich from 1985 to 1994, before becoming Mayor of the Township of Woolwich in 1997. While serving as Mayor, a position he held until 2010, he also served on Regional Council for 13 years. In November 2009, Bill received a 25-year Long-Standing Service Award from the Province of Ontario. What stands out the most about Bill is the genuine relationships he nurtured with the residents he served, as well as the Council members and staff with whom he worked. He has always maintained that if you take the time to talk to people, you can learn so much.

Carl Zehr was first elected to Kitchener City Council in 1985. He continued to serve on Kitchener Council, representing residents in the ward of Chicopee until 1994. He was appointed by the City of Kitchener to represent the municipality on Regional Council from 1988 until 1994. In 1997, he was elected as the Mayor of Kitchener and was re-elected in 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2010; he also served on Regional Council in his capacity as Mayor. He served on Regional Council for 21 years.

In 2014, as the longest serving mayor in Kitchener, he announced that he would not be seeking an additional term in the municipal election. He was a member of the Large Urban Mayors' Caucus of Ontario and served as its chair in 1999. He was also a member of the Big City Mayors Caucus (Canada) from 1997 to 2014. He has served as a member of the board of numerous Kitchener area organizations, including the Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro Board, the University of Waterloo, Centre in the Square, and Kitchener Housing Inc. Officially retired, Carl continues to represent Waterloo Region through his work on the board of Metrolinx, the Toronto-based public transport agency, where he's supporting improved rail service to Waterloo Region. Carl always brought a Regional perspective to his work and was a key supporter of projects such as the LRT, the medical school, and the David Johnston Technology Park.

The 2017 award recipients’ names have been engraved on the Jack Young Civic Award plaque and their group photograph will be displayed in the lobby of the Regional Administrative Headquarters, 150 Frederick Street, Kitchener until December 31, 2019.

Also recognized during the Council meeting was Marilyn Scott, past-Chair of the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund. She was one of 15 individuals recently presented with an Ontario Senior Achievement Award by the Lieutenant Governor for Ontario, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell.

“I was pleased to support Marilyn’s nomination in recognition of her volunteer work to support and strengthen the arts in Waterloo Region. Marilyn has served on the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund for the past six years, three of those as Chair,” said Ken Seiling.  “I witnessed first-hand the significant measures she implemented, in collaboration with the Board, during a very challenging period in the Arts Fund’s history. She has spent countless hours over the past many years to help further the cause of the arts community and to ensure that much needed funding was available to support local artists and artistic organizations.”

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For more information please contact:

Ken Seiling, Regional Chair, 519-575-4585
KSeiling@regionofwaterloo.ca