Dave Bronconnier
David Thomas Bronconnier | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 7, 1962 Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Occupation(s) | Politician, Businessman |
| Years active | 1992–2010 |
| Known for | 35th Mayor of Calgary |
David Thomas Bronconnier (born October 7, 1962) is a Canadian political figure who held the office of the 35th Mayor of Calgary, Alberta.
Personal life
As a fourth-generation resident of Calgary, Bronconnier was raised in the Glenbrook neighborhood and briefly enrolled at the University of Calgary before entering the workforce. His early career included positions with the City of Calgary Electric System and Alberta Government Telephones. In 1983, he launched a small construction business. Later, in 1987, he co-established First General Services, a company focused on insurance restoration for buildings, which has since expanded significantly. He is married to Cindy Bronconnier and they have four children: Adam, Weston, Leslie, and Grant.
Political career
Bronconnier represented Ward 6 as an alderman on Calgary's city council for nine years, initially elected in 1992 and serving three terms prior to pursuing the mayoralty. In 1997, he contested the federal election as the Liberal candidate for Calgary West, but was defeated by Reform Party candidate Rob Anders.
Following the retirement of long-serving mayor Al Duerr, Bronconnier narrowly prevailed over Bev Longstaff in the 2001 mayoral election, becoming Calgary's 35th mayor. He secured re-election in 2004 with close to 80% of votes cast despite a low voter turnout of 18%, marking the lowest participation rate in Western Canada at that time. In 2007, he won a third term by obtaining 61% of the vote.
On February 23, 2010, Bronconnier declared he would not run in that year’s municipal election. Additionally, he was shortlisted as a finalist for the 2010 World Mayor award.
In November 2011, Alberta Premier Alison Redford appointed Bronconnier as the province’s trade commissioner based in Washington, D.C., for a nine-month assignment.
Environmental leadership
Amidst both international and national criticism regarding Alberta’s limited development in green technology infrastructure, former Premier Ed Stelmach’s administration pledged CAD 4 billion in 2009 to fund province-wide green capital initiatives.
In that same year, Bronconnier along with the Pembina Institute were honored with the 'Reaching Out to Global Energy Award' at the UN Climate Change Summit due to their partnership on Calgary’s 'Greening the Grid' program. The city sought technical guidance from Pembina Institute which produced the report Options for Reducing GHG Emissions in Calgary, serving as a blueprint for environmentally focused infrastructure projects. City-owned utility Enmax executed several key developments including the Shepard Energy Centre, a wind farm consisting of twelve turbines supplying power to Calgary Transit’s C-trains, as well as the District Energy Centre—a heat recovery facility serving downtown Calgary.
The 'Greening the Grid' initiative was detailed within the 'Calgary Climate Change Action Plan: Target (down arrow) 50,' which set out to transition municipal facilities to renewable energy sources by 2012. By 2009, C-trains were entirely powered by wind energy through Enmax’s 'Ride the Wind' program conducted in partnership with Vision Quest Windlectric. The city invested CAD 250 million into this initiative, reinforcing its commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable energy policies.
External links
- Mayors of Calgary
- 1962 births
- Living people
- Candidates in the 1997 Canadian federal election
- Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons
- Directors of Canada Infrastructure Bank
- 20th-century Canadian municipal councillors
- 21st-century mayors of places in Alberta
- Alberta candidates for Member of Parliament