Hon. Glen Murray
Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities
Glen Murray is the Member of Provincial Parliament for Toronto Centre.
First elected in a 2010 by-election, he was re-elected in October 2011 and was appointed Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. He previously served as Minister of Research and Innovation.
Within weeks of assuming his new position Minister Murray launched the McGuinty government's ground breaking 30% off Ontario Tuition grant, helping hundreds of thousands of post-secondary modest and middle income students and their families by making University and College more affordable and accessible.
Minister Murray's work with the Canadian Urban Institute, as CEO, and recently as Minister of Research and Innovation in the Ontario Liberal government has positioned him to create an environment of innovation and increased productivity in the post-secondary sector while strengthening his commitment to training and apprenticeships through programs like Second Career that has so far helped over 50,000 Ontarians upgrade their skills to find new jobs.
As Minister of Research and Innovation Murray led Ontario's WaterTAP initiative. In support of the Open Ontario plan to engage the global economy, Murray signed an agreement with Singapore on the development of clean water technologies that is the first of its kind in the world, and he completed an agreement to create the Ontario-Quebec Life Sciences Corridor to stimulate the flow of ideas and investment between these two robust innovation leaders.
On Social Innovation, Minister Murray collaborated with Ministers Hoskins and Broten on Ontario's first Open Source policy development plan, and launched the Social Venture Exchange. Murray also introduced an experiential learning program through the Ontario Centres of Excellence.
Murray has a lifetime of activism in urban planning, sustainable development and community health. He served on several university, hospital and community boards,including the Toronto District School Board's Reference Group for Improving Services for Marginalized Students.
Previously Murray was appointed by the Prime Minister of Canada to Chair the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy and is a founding member of the Canadian AIDS Society.
Murray was mayor of the City of Winnipeg and during his tenure was the Chair of the Big City Mayors Caucus. In that role he led the successful campaign to transfer the equivalent of 5 cents a litre of the federal gas tax to municipalities for infrastructure renewal and construction. He also served as Senior Resident at Massey College and was a Visiting Fellow at the Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Design at the University of Toronto.
Minister Murray brings his vast wealth of knowledge, creativity and innovation to his role as Ontario Minister of Training Colleges and Universities and is a proud member of the McGuinty team that is moving Ontario forward.
