Jackson to be feted for 35 years of public service; walkway to be given his name.

By Pepper Parr

BURLINGTON, ON  October 28, 2012  It sometimes takes a while for the rewards and the recognition to come in.  On November 18^th, Cam Jackson will be recognized for his 35 years of public service to the city, when the walkway between the public parking garage and the Performance Arts Centre is named – the Cam Jackson Accessibility Walkway.

The initiative for the event came from Mayor Goldring but the event is not being run out of the Mayor’s office.  Rick Goldring said he felt it was time to recognize Jackson’s 35 years of community service and was in touch with a group of loyal Jackson supporters.

The invitations are coming from members of that circle.  It is not a dinner but rather a reception taking place at the Performing Arts Centre.  There is no ticket price.

There is no explanation for the timing of the event other than it was something the Mayor felt should be done.  Burlington doesn’t have a tradition of current Mayor’s choosing to recognize a past Mayor.

Roly Bird Park is located almost across the road from Costco.

Former MPP George Kerr was never recognized by the city.  The only time the city formally recognized a former Mayor was when a park was named after Mayor Roly Bird.

The Roly Bird park is substantial in size; much bigger than it would appear to be from the road if you are driving by.

Goldring and Jackson have not had a cozy relationship.  Jackson told Goldring the unfinished Burlington pier should just be torn down.  Goldring ignored the advice and has trudged forward dealing with just as many problems as Jackson had in his day.

The reception being held to recognize Jackson’s 35 years of service appears to be a private event.  If you got an invitation it was not from the City or the Performing Arts Centre. You sent your RSVP to an email address: tribute2camjackson@gmail.com or you called 905-681-7884 which is a phone registered to a private residence. The envelope in which the invitation was mailed has a return address of  125 Birett Drive.

Jackson was born in Hamilton, Ontario. His mother was Ukrainian Canadian.  He was educated at McMaster University, although he left before graduating to take a job with the Ontario Conservative Party. Before entering politics, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the Metropolitan Hamilton Real Estate Board, and also worked for the Halton Housing Authority from 1975 to 1980. In 1996, he was named “Officer Brother of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem” by Canada’s Governor-General. He also served as a trustee on the Halton Public School Board for ten years.

Jackson was elected for the riding of Burlington South in the provincial election of 1985, defeating Liberal candidate Doug Redfearn by about 4,500 votes. He was a backbench supporter of the government of Frank Miller, which was defeated in the legislature shortly after the election. In late 1985, Jackson supported Alan Pope’s unsuccessful bid to replace Miller as party leader.

Jackson was nearly defeated in the provincial election of 1987, defeating Liberal Bill Priestner by 605 votes. He won by a much greater margin in the 1990 election. The Tories finished in third place in both instances, behind the Liberals and the New Democratic Party.

The Progressive Conservatives returned to power in the 1995 provincial election, and Jackson was re-elected in Burlington South with over 70% of the popular vote. He was made a Minister without Portfolio in the government of Mike Harris on June 26, 1995, with responsibility for the Workers Compensation Board. After a shuffle on August 16, 1996, he was given ministerial responsibility for Seniors. He was given a full portfolio on July 27, 1998, being made Ontario Minister of Long-Term Care and Seniors. Jackson was easily re-elected in the 1999 provincial election for the redistributed riding of Burlington.

On June 17, 1999, he was named Minister of Tourism. He was named Minister of Citizenship with responsibility for Seniors on February 8, 2001, but returned to the Tourism portfolio (now retitled Tourism and Recreation) when Ernie Eves succeeded Mike Harris as Premier on April 15, 2002. He was forced to resign on October 2, 2002 due to a controversy over his practice of billing the government for meals and hotel stays. Jackson did not appear in public for weeks and there was speculation that he would not run for re-election. Jackson was fully exonerated of all allegations before the next election, and did retain his riding in the 2003 election (albeit with a greatly reduced majority) while dozens of other Tory MPPs lost their seats.

There had been speculation that Jackson would run to succeed Eves in the 2004 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election but in July, Jackson endorsed John Tory’s candidacy for the position of party leader.

In 2006 Jackson decided to run for Mayor of Burlington and took the top spot on the ballot when he eased ahead of local lawyer Rick Burgess and one time Ward 2 council member Joan Lougheed to take 34.9% of the votes.

Cam Jackson: Election night 2010

His term of office was not a successful one and in 2006 Jackson was soundly defeated by current Mayor Rick Goldring.

During his term Jackson struggled to manage the construction of a pier at the foot of Brant Street that seemed plagued with problems that were beyond the skill set of the city’s engineering department at that time.  Jackson had to manage problem after problem on a project he didn’t initiate.  That pier is still not completed two years into the mandate of the council that followed Jackson.

A report Jackson commissioned on the nature of the role between his council and the citizens, the Shape Burlington report, had a significant impact on the way citizens saw their city.  That report brought about a number of changes at city hall that included a more focused response on customer service and an attempt to create a “charter” that would engage citizens more deeply in the affairs of the city.

The Shape report was written by the late John Boich and former Mayor Walter Mulkewich.  Boich ran Jackson’s attempt to be re-elected Mayor of the city.

There was a suggestion that Jackson would run for the leadership of the provincial progressive conservatives. There will be more suggestions on what Cam Jackson is going to do next.  He has been a political force in the city since his days as a student at Nelson High School where he was politically active.

It doesn’t appear to be much of a structure and it gets used for the most part by those who choose to leave their cars in the Locust Street parking lot while attending an event at the Performing Arts Centre. Former Mayor Cam Jackson did the work that raised the funds to pay for the structure

He has had some difficulty adjusting to life in the private sector; the name Cam Jackson and the word politics are joined at the hip.

In the world of politics a week can be a lifetime – it would be a mistake to think that Jackson’s nine lives have all been used.

The chattering political class will watch with some interest on who attends the reception on November the 18^th and who doesn’t.  Who gets invited and who doesn’t.

Will the guests all assemble in the Locust Street parking garage and troop across the newly named Cam Jackson Accessibility Walkway led by the Burlington Teen Tour Band or will people quietly assemble in the Family Room of the Performing Arts Centre and recognize a citizen who, in his own unique way, continues to serve.