| Honorific suffix | MPP |
|---|---|
| Office 1 | Caucus Chair of the Ontario New Democratic Party |
| Term start 1 | July 13, 2022 |
| Leader 1 | Peter Tabuns (interim) Marit Stiles |
| Office 2 | Critic, Municipal Affairs |
| Term start 2 | September 6, 2018 |
| Leader 2 | Andrea Horwath Peter Tabuns (interim) Marit Stiles |
| Parliament 3 | Ontario Provincial |
| Term start 3 | June 7, 2018 |
| Predecessor 3 | Cindy Forster |
| Riding 3 | Niagara Centre |
| Party | New Democratic |
| Occupation | Non profit executive director / CEO, President of Steel Workers Union |
| Alma mater | Brock University |
Jeff Burch is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election.[1] He represents the electoral district of Niagara Centre as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party.
Prior to his election to the legislature Burch was the executive director of Niagara Folk Arts, a non–profit social services agency, and served as city councillor for Merritton Ward for St. Catharines City Council.
Background
Jeff Burch is a graduate from Brock University, with an honours BA in philosophy. Burch then spent three years as a graduate student and teaching assistant at Brock, teaching seminars in social issues and women's studies. He left his studies in 1996 after being elected president of a United Steelworkers local union.[2]
Politics
Burch ran as the Ontario New Democratic Party's candidate in St. Catharines in 1995, losing to Liberal Jim Bradley.[citation needed] He was elected as a city councillor in St. Catharines, Ontario, in 2006. He served from 2006 to 2014, including four years as budget chair.[3] He ran for mayor of St. Catharines in 2014, losing to Walter Sendzik by fewer than 2000 votes.
In February 2018, Burch won the NDP nomination in Niagara Centre.[4] The riding has been an NDP stronghold for 44 years[citation needed] with Mel Swart, Peter Kormos and Cindy Forster holding the seat. On June 7, 2018, Burch won the seat.[5] Burch currently serves as the Official Opposition critic for Municipal Affairs[6] as well as the chair of the Official Opposition caucus.
Three months after his election in 2018, he scored a major victory by winning unanimous support for his motion to bring two-way all-day GO Transit rail service to Niagara.[7]
Electoral record
2014 St. Catharines Mayoral Election
| Mayoral Candidate [8] | Vote | % |
|---|---|---|
| Walter Sendzik | 13,147 | 40.19 |
| Jeff Burch | 11,321 | 34.61 |
| Peter Secord | 6,571 | 20.09 |
| Mark Stevens | 1,135 | 3.47 |
| Jim Fannon | 535 | 1.64 |
2010 St. Catharines City Council Election - Ward 1 - Merriton
| Candidate | Total votes | % of total vote |
|---|---|---|
| Jennie Stevens (X) | 2,294 | 32.96% |
| Jeff Burch (X) | 2,064 | 29.66% |
| David Haywood | 1,134 | 16.29% |
| Garry Robbins | 817 | 11.74% |
| Sam Sacco | 491 | 7.05% |
| Cameron Alderdice | 160 | 2.30% |
| Total valid votes | 6,960 | 100.00 |
2006 St. Catharines City Council Election - Ward 1 - Meritton
| Candidate | Total votes | % of total vote |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Burch | 2857 | 33.01% |
| Jennie Stevens (X) | 2849 | 32.92% |
| Sheila Morra (X) | 2049 | 23.68% |
| Robbie Craine | 899 | 10.39% |
| Total valid votes | 6,960 | 100.00 |
References
- ^ "Blue wave stops in Niagara ". Niagara This Week, June 7, 2018.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Jeff Burch". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
- ^ Johnson, Nathaniel (2018-06-05). "Provincial election: Niagara Centre riding profile". StCatharinesStandard.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
- ^ Média, Bell. "Jeff Burch wins NDP nomination in Niagara Centre". www.iheartradio.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
- ^ Johnson, Nathaniel (2018-06-07). "Burch maintains NDP dynasty". StCatharinesStandard.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
- ^ "Jeff Burch | Legislative Assembly of Ontario". www.ola.org. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
- ^ Benner, Allan (2018-09-28). "Province commits to 2023 for GO train". StCatharinesStandard.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
- ^ "Election Results". Archived from the original on 2014-12-23. Retrieved 2014-10-29.