Gloria’s National and International Public Service
Nationally, Gloria has helped to bring Guelph’s issues to Ottawa. She was the voice of municipalities on Parliament Hill as past president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). She also helped establish key links between Guelph and other cities abroad.
As past president of the FCM, Gloria:
- Made municipal infrastructure a national issue. The Conservative Government responded by making the Building Canada Fund a permanent source of municipal funding.
- Helped to establish a long-term municipal partnership with Jinja, Uganda, through FCM's International Centre for Municipal Development.
Internationally, Gloria:
- Is a member of the Municipal Alliance for Peace (MAP), an international committee which focuses on peace initiatives for the Middle East.
- Developed an exchange program between Guelph and cities in the Czech Republic and has worked on an international program in El Salvador.
- Was instrumental in building sustainable communities in Jinja, Uganda.
- Has taken part in international negotiations and dialogues in Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, the United States and Italy.
- Is a strong supporter of human rights in Afghanistan.
Awards
- The United Nations officially recognized Gloria’s work in helping to build sustainable communities in Uganda.
- Gloria earned the 2006 YMCA Peace Medal Award for helping to lead peace dialogues and assistance programs between Israeli and Palestinian youths.
- Gloria has been nominated as a YMCA Woman of Distinction and in 2007 was the Honorary Chair of the Women of Distinction awards.