Gary Crawford

Background

About Gary Crawford

Gary Crawford is recognized as a respected leader and consensus builder by his Councillor colleagues on Toronto City Council, Toronto city staff and with elected officials and staff across the province. He was appointed by the Mayor and Council, for a third, four year term, as Budget Chair and as a member of the Mayor's Executive Committee. As Chair of the Budget Committee for nine previous budgets including the 2023 budget, which was without a doubt, the most challenging to date – from the pressures of inflation, to rising fuel, food and debt-servicing costs, to the significant financial repercussions of the pandemic that we continue to face today. Despite these challenges, Gary led Toronto's 2023 Budget that maintains front line services, invests in housing, community safety, transit, emergency services and parks, while managing affordability and in response to feedback from Members of Council. Gary's commitment and deep understanding of the City, its Agencies and fiscal governance, has provided him the unique opportunity to investigate and give direction on how the City can operate more fairly and efficiently. He is a powerful advocate for innovative change in how Municipal Government operates, and his advocacy for multi-year long term planning has created a solid foundation for improvement. Gary's proven ability and skills to work with people from a broad array of political backgrounds is an excellent foundation for the consensus building required for effective decision making. His sound, balanced approach and capacity to bridge common goals has earned him the respect of his peers at Council and the many Boards and Committees he participates on. In the recent provincial bi-election in the riding of Scarborough Guildwood, Gary as the PC candidate cultivated strong foundational relationships with many elected officials, including the Premier, Cabinet Ministers, MPPs as well as provincial and party staff. Gary is an ambitious individual with strong organizational and multitasking skills and a dedicated professional with proven performance in management, leadership and communication. Gary is detail-oriented in problem-solving and planning who is ready to make an immediate contribution to any organization.