Ontario’s deputy minister of community safety will become the province’s new top ag bureaucrat, effective Tuesday.
Premier Dalton McGuinty on Wednesday announced John Burke as the province’s new deputy minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs starting Sept. 7.
Burke has served as the deputy in several provincial ministries, including municipal affairs and housing, and natural resources. He was moved to the community safety portfolio, within the community safety and correctional services ministry, in May.
Before joining the provincial government, he served as the chief administrative officer for the cities of Ottawa, Dartmouth, N.S., Gloucester, North Bay and the Regional Municipality of Halton. He also served in senior management in municipal administration in Grande Prairie, Alta., and in Halifax and Richmond, N.S.
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Burke’s resume also includes a bachelor of commerce degree from St. Mary’s University and a diploma in public administration from the University of Western Ontario.
In the ag file, Burke replaces George Zegarac, who had been the ag deputy since December 2008. McGuinty in June announced Zegarac as the new deputy minister of children and youth services, but hadn’t named a replacement for him in agriculture at that time.
