Glen Murray was elected Mayor of Winnipeg on October 28, 1998. Since then, he has developed a three-year budget which cuts property taxes by six percent. He launched a comprehensive housing program to assist older neighbourhoods, and he created a unique downtown development agency – CentreVenture - aimed at revitalizing the city’s core. This downtown rebirth includes a new campus on Princess Street for Red River College and a private sector driven multi-use Entertainment Complex on Portage Avenue.

Glen entered civic government with a diverse background in communications, business and health. He was co-ordinator of health education for four years at Winnipeg’s Village Clinic, which put him on the front lines in dealing with the AIDS crisis. He left the clinic to go into partnership in a unique environmental auditing and consulting business before being elected City Councillor for Fort Rouge. He served as a Councillor for nine years, winning several business awards during that time.

Glen was born in 1957 in Montreal where he earned a diploma from John Abbott College. He then attended Concordia University’s School of Community and Public Affairs for four years, majoring in Urban Studies. While at Concordia, he served as President of the student union. He left university in his final year to start a career in Communications with Canada Post. He was sent to Winnipeg on assignment, and fell in love with the city’s architecture, artistic vibrancy, ethnic diversity, urban forest and community spirit. Winnipeg has been his chosen home since 1985.

He is an enthusiastic cyclist and in 2001 completed a 1,700 kilometre ride from Kansas City, Missouri to Winnipeg in addition to the 2,800 kilometres he pedalled in 1996 from Winnipeg to Atlanta, as part of the Habitat for Humanity team, which assists families in building and owning homes.

He has served on several university, hospital and community boards.