June 12, 2015
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Michael was elected as Mayor of Regina in October 2012 after serving for five terms on City Council. He holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from St. Francis Xavier University and a Masters of Science degree from the London School of Economics. Michael has lived and worked in several provinces, Asia and Europe, working in the field of economic development.
His priorities include housing, infrastructure, regional economic development and the advancement of the Regina Revitalization Initiative, a $1 billion plan to rejuvenate Regina’s inner-city through the construction of a new stadium, the redevelopment of 17.5 acres of former rail yard north of downtown, and the redevelopment of the area where the current stadium sits.
Michael is an avid runner and has participated in numerous half-marathons. After winning the mayoral seat he started an annual Mayor’s Walk/Run For Fitness, an inclusive and inexpensive event that aims to help families experience the sense of fun and community of a road race, as well as promote healthy lifestyles and raising money for charities and community-based organizations.
He is an enthusiastic drummer. He started playing as a teenager and picked it up again after his son got a drum kit. He often plays along to my favourite music (The Beatles, Led Zeppelin) as a stress-reliever.
He enjoys going to the movies. Once per month he appears on a local television show to chat about what’s going on at City Hall. Despite his “lack of qualifications”, the host of the show asked him to do brief movie reviews at the end of those segments.
Like all Saskatchewanites, it seems, he loves football. Naturally, his team is Regina’s professional team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the most popular team in the Canadian Football League.
Regina was chosen to host the league’s 101st Grey Cup game in 2013, which the Riders managed to win. Canadian comedian Martin Short convinced Tom Hanks to attend the game. Michael has a photo of him with Tom that’s “just blurry enough for people to question if it’s real.”