John Filion has represented the
residents of Willowdale faithfully since 1982. He has also held many
leadership positions.
John was elected in 1982 to the North York
Board of Education, where he served for nine years, including four consecutive
terms as Chair (1986-1990). He was also a member of the Metro School
Board.
In 1991, John was elected to North York Council,
where he took on several leadership roles, including three years as Chair
of the North York Parks and Recreation Committee and two years as Chair
of a rejuvenated Environment Committee. In 1985, he became Chair of the
North York Board of Health.
In 1997, with amalgamation, John was elected to the new Toronto City Council.
He immediately began a very active term as Chair of the new Toronto Board
of Health. In this role, John introduced the first successful ban on smoking
in Toronto restaurants and bars. He made headlines cleaning up the city's
restaurants, launching a new rating system which allowed the public to see
which restaurants had failed to meet health standards. This, together with
more vigorous inspection, quickly resulted in a 500% decrease in the number
of restaurants with health problems.
John overwhelmingly won re-election to Council in 2000 and 2003. During the
most recent term, John has overseen two major areas – Health and Planning – the
only councillor since amalgamation to have been simultaneously chosen for
two such demanding leadership positions. He has also been an active member
of the Toronto Police Services Board.
As Chair of Planning and Transportation, John continued
his career-long theme of giving more power to communities by reforming
the planning process so that residents will have an early and more meaningful
say in local planning decisions.
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John, shown here with his family has made Willowdale his home for the past
30 years. |
Re-elected as Chair of the Board
of Health, John handled the introduction of a new bylaw to eliminate
the unnecessary use of pesticides. He also oversaw enforcement of the
smoking ban in bars. Recently, John went public with his concerns that
not enough is being done to protect residents of our city in the event
of a flu pandemic.
On the Police Services Board John was an active
supporter of a community policing strategy which has moved 200 officers
from desk jobs out to the front lines. This, together with the hiring
of additional officers, has resulted in 450 additional police officers.
John is also known for his successful efforts to create a balanced,
productive and harmonious relationship between the police and the police
board.
John has been a homeowner in Willowdale for
more than 25 years. Before entering politics, he was a journalist
with the North York Mirror and the Toronto Star. He was founding editor
of the Canadian World Almanac.
John graduated from York University with an
Honours Degree in History. |
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About John 
