In a cabinet shuffle announced August 18, John Wilkinson becomes Minister of the Environment.  John Gerretsen becomes Minister of Consumer Services..

John Wilkinson was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2003 as the MPP for Perth-Middlesex. He was re-elected in 2007 as the MPP for Perth-Wellington.

He was appointed Minister of the Environment in August 2010 after serving as Minister of Revenue since June 2009. Wilkinson previously served as Minister of Research and Innovation. He also served as the Parliamentary Assistant to Premier Dalton McGuinty and as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment. He was also appointed by the Minister of Finance to serve as the vice chair of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

Wilkinson is the first Certified Financial Planner elected to the Ontario legislature. Before entering politics he founded Wilkinson & Keller Financial Planning Ltd. of Stratford, a successful small business.

Known for his lengthy record of service, Wilkinson has been very active in both his church and community. He was both the youngest president and senior member of the Kiwanis Club of Stratford. He has successfully chaired many community based fundraising efforts.

In 2002, the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation honoured Wilkinson with their highest national volunteer tribute, the Julia Award. In 2003, he was presented with the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of a decade of outstanding work in helping to find a cure or control for cystic fibrosis, the leading genetic cause of death in Canadian children. In 2006, Wilkinson was named a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow for his humanitarian efforts.

A graduate of the Faculty of Music from the University of Western Ontario, Wilkinson and his wife have three children, a daughter in university and two sons in high school.

The MWA Promotion and Education Awards, sponsored by Municipal Media (Custom-built Calendars) ,  recognize the best examples of municipal creative work. Click below for the submission form for material used from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Awards will be presented to the winning submissions at the MWA Fall Workshop in October.

Submission form.

More fundamentals training and specialized courses are being offered again by the Municipal Waste Association, with funding from the Efficiency and Effectiveness Fund.

Fundamental Principles Course: September 27—October 1

Being held at Carleton University, Ottawa

Specialized Courses:

Being held at Hockley Valley Resort, Orangeville.

Promotion & Education: October 13 to October 14;

Contract Management:  October 27 to October 28;

Markets & Marketing:  November 9 to November 10;

Data Management:   November 17 to November 18;

Full details here

If you ned more information, please contact Carrie Nash, Blue Box Training Coordinator, Municipal Waste Association.
(519) 636-8870

Email: carrie@municipalwaste.ca.

The MWA Promotion and Education Awards recognize the best examples of municipal creative work. Submission forms will be available on the MWA website starting August 3, 2010 for material used from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010. Awards will be presented to the winning submissions at the MWA Fall Workshop in October. The Award categories are:

• Brochure, Pamphlet, or Booklet
• Newsletter
• Print Ad
• Calendar
• Web-based Tool
• P&E Tool – Municipal population less than 20,000
• P&E Tool – Other

Submissions are to be accompanied by a one page description and judging criteria will include general aesthetic appeal, accuracy and quality of work, and originality.