Quick Facts
Biography
Karen J. Farbridge is a Canadian politician, the former mayor and a former city councillor of the city of Guelph, Ontario.
Farbridge was first elected to Guelph City Council in 1994, and served until her first election as mayor in the 2000 municipal election. She served until 2003, when she was defeated by Kate Quarrie in the 2003 municipal election, but defeated Quarrie in the 2006 municipal election. Reelected in the 2010 municipal election, she was defeated by Cam Guthrie in the 2014 municipal election. During her 11-year tenure as mayor, Farbridge became the second longest sitting mayor, behind Norm Jary who served 15 years, and the longest sitting female mayor.
A resident of Guelph since 1979, Farbridge has an MSc and PhD in biology from the University of Guelph. During her tenure in municipal politics, Farbridge has championed sustainable approaches to community growth and development, with a strong commitment to citizen engagement.
As of 2016 Farbridge was lecturing in the faculty of Environmental Studies at York University.