Gregor Robertson is a Canadian entrepreneur and politician who served as Vancouver’s 39th and longest-serving mayor. He was elected three times, holding office from 2008 to 2018. The main goal for Robertson and his team was to improve the city’s environmental standing and earn the title of “Greenest City 2020.” Learn more at vancouveriski.
Early Life
Gregor Angus Bethune Robertson was born on September 18, 1964, in Vancouver. He grew up with his mother, a physical education teacher, and his father, a corporate lawyer. After his parents divorced, Gregor and his brother first lived with their mother in California before returning to Vancouver to live with their father. He graduated from Carson Graham Secondary School in 1982. Hoping to become a doctor, Robertson applied to the medical program at the University of British Columbia but was not accepted. His interest in medicine may have been inspired by his family history. His grandfather, Émile Therrien, was a doctor, and his great-uncle, Norman Bethune, gained international acclaim as a field trauma surgeon during the Spanish Civil War and the Second Sino-Japanese War. After his rejection from UBC, Robertson enrolled at Colorado College. He also completed paramedic training but ultimately decided against a medical career, choosing instead to focus on studying healthy nutrition.
At Colorado College, Gregor met his future wife, Amy. After graduating, they sailed across the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand. There, the couple became interested in agriculture, working the land and raising animals. It was during this time that Gregor Robertson began to realize the need to change society’s attitude towards ecology.
Returning to Vancouver and Pursuing Eco-Friendly Ideas
The Robertsons returned to Vancouver in 1990. The couple bought an old 20-hectare dairy farm near the Fraser River. In 1994, along with his long-time friend Randal Ius, he co-founded the organic juice company, Happy Planet. Robertson believed this would be a great start for promoting the healthy food movement in the city and began producing certified organic products. The business’s growth was supported by Joel Solomon, a millionaire transplant from Tennessee, who invested at least $250,000 in the company. His help didn’t stop there. When Gregor Robertson decided to run for mayor, Solomon supported him and financed his election campaign.
Gregor Robertson’s Political Career
In 2008, Gregor Robertson was elected Mayor of Vancouver with the municipal party Vision Vancouver, which focused on improving environmental sustainability and affordable housing. Upon taking office, the new mayor began implementing the “Greenest City 2020” action plan, which laid out ten main goals:
- Grow the green economy by increasing the number of green jobs.
- Promote green building development.
- Reduce the need for car travel.
- Decrease the use of fossil fuels.
- Minimize the amount of waste.
- Increase green spaces within the city.
- Ensure the city has clean drinking water.
- Provide clean air.
- Reduce the city’s ecological footprint.
- Develop the local food systems.
The Results
Although Vancouver did not achieve the status of the world’s greenest city by 2020, it is widely considered the most environmentally friendly city in North America. Great strides were made in nearly every area, with the notable exception of reducing emissions from buildings, which were cut by only 9%.