Jacques Legendre ---- Rideau-Rockcliffe

BIOGRAPHY

Jacques the Man

Jacques Legendre first moved to Ottawa with his parents as a young teen in 1955. He attended the University of Ottawa and then McGill, where he earned a Ph.D. in physics. After graduation, he joined the National Research Council of Canada, where he worked as a researcher in fibre optics for 23 years. Jacques first entered politics through a community effort to protect environmentally sensitive lands from inappropriate urban development. He lives in Carson Woods, is married, has four grown children and is a proud new grandfather.

Today: Municipal Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe

The 2000 municipal election was the stage for the creation of the new, region-wide City of Ottawa. In Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward, Jacques received an overwhelming majority of votes and was carried to his fourth straight mandate as an elected official.

As municipal councillor in the new Ottawa, Jacques is a member of three committees:

Transportation and Transit,
Emergency and Protective Services, and
Audit.

He also has a seat on the Ottawa Housing Board and the Ottawa Library Board and is Vice-President of the Police Services Board. He remains committed to addressing major municipal challenges (e.g., the housing crisis), to maintaining the quality of service delivery while containing costs, and to improving civic involvement.

1994-2000: Regional Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe

In 1994, municipal government was restructured and councillors for the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton (RMOC), formerly appointed by each local municipality, became directly elected officials. Jacques was returned as the elected councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward, a position he still holds in the new City of Ottawa.

As Regional Councillor, he served on four bodies:

Transportation Committee (roads),
Transit Services Committee (bus service),
Planning and Environment Committee,
Police Services Board (since 1997).

He also served the ward and the region in a number of other capacities.

He lobbied successfully for a regional grant of $270,000 to upgrade a former school building to create new premises for the Overbrook-Forbes Community Resources Association.
He lobbied successfully for a similar grant of $250,000 to upgrade the former Crichton School in New Edinburgh, creating new facilities shared by the Crichton Community Cultural Centre and the Ottawa School of Dance.
He chaired a committee to advise the RMOC on the bilingual delivery of services.

During his tenure as regional councillor, he also found time to volunteer.

He served for six years on the board of the Ottawa-Carleton Economic Development Corporation.
He served for three years on the Board of the Children's Aid Society of Ottawa-Carleton.
He participated actively in the activities of the S.O.S. Montfort, a group dedicated to saving the Montfort Hospital and making it a training centre for French-language health-care services in Ontario.

1991-1994: City Council Years

In 1991 Jacques was elected to the Ottawa City Council as alderman for Overbrook Ward (the southern portion of the present Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward). He was active and effective on many fronts.

St. Laurent Recreation Complex: He persuaded the city to build a new community centre on Côté Street and shepherded the project on the way to completion by working with the community to select the services it would provide.
St. Laurent Branch Public Library: He initiated a public consultation process which chose the St. Laurent Recreation Complex as the site of the new library.
Bilingual services: He worked with the City's French Language Services Advisory Committee to improve the delivery of municipal services in French.

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