| Jan Harder | |
|---|---|
| Ottawa City Councillor | |
| In office January 1, 2001 – present |
|
| Preceded by | City amalgamated |
| Constituency | Bell-South Nepean Ward (2001-2006); Barrhaven Ward (2006-present) |
| Nepean City Councillor | |
| In office January 1, 1998 – January 1, 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Doug Collins |
| Succeeded by | City amalgamated |
| Constituency | Barrhaven Ward |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1951 Ottawa |
Jan Harder (born, 1951 in Ottawa) is an Ottawa City Councillor representing the ward of Barrhaven. She is the appointed chair of the Ottawa Public Library board, which sets policy and has the ultimate say in decisions affecting the library system.
Born in Ottawa, she spent her youth in a number of different Ontario cities. Trained as a radiological technician, she eventually became an executive in the grocery business.
She first entered politics in 1997 when she was elected to Nepean city council. With the creation of the new amalgamated city of Ottawa in 2000, Harder ran against regional councillor Molly McGoldrick-Larsen. While the race was expected to be close, Harder ended up winning by several thousand votes.
She was reelected in the 2003 Ottawa election, by defeating newcomer John R. Palmer.
In the November 2006 municipal elections, Harder retained her position as councillor with 75% of the vote in Barrhaven Ward.
Harder was criticized for the appearance of a conflict of interest for having accepted a free corporate box seat at the 2007 Stanley Cup NHL hockey playoff game (Senators v.s. Anaheim Ducks) at Scotiabank Place from Waste Management Services—a company that the City does business with.[1] She was accused of conflict of interest again in 2008 for allegedly endorsing a waste management company, Plasco, and accepting money in the form of a paid trip[2]
Harder is heavily active in Conservative politics and in the past mused about running federally in her riding. Her daughter, Elena ran for the vacant Orléans Ward seat in a by-election in January 2006, but was unsuccessful.
| Preceded by None, ward amalgamated into Ottawa in 2000 |
City councillors from Bell-South Nepean Ward 2000-2006 |
Succeeded by Ward abolished |
| Preceded by Ward created |
City councillors from Barrhaven Ward 2006-present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |