Virtual Event: The Honourable Jeff Yurek
Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
” Environmental Protection in the Time of COVID-19 and Rebuilding the Ontario Economy “
Oct. 16, 2020
Join Canadian Club Toronto when The Honourable Jeff Yurek, Minister of Environment, Conservation & Parks, will discuss Ontario’s response to COVID-19 in the context of protecting the environment, fighting climate change and rebuilding the provincial economy so that it’s stronger than ever. After his remarks, Minister Yurek will be joined in conversation by The Logic’s Vanmala Subramaniam for a fireside chat.
Biography:
The Honourable Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation & Parks
A proud lifelong resident of St. Thomas, Jeff grew up with the family business, Yurek Pharmacy Ltd., which was started by his father Ed in 1963. Jeff followed in his father’s footsteps as a graduate of the Pharmacy Program at the University of Toronto and later purchased the business with his brother Pete. In addition to growing the pharmacy’s operations, Jeff was actively involved in numerous local charitable and not-for-profit organizations. His desire for a better Ontario motivated him to seek the nomination for the Progressive Conservative Party, and he became the riding’s MPP in October 2011.
Jeff’s hard work continued in this new role and he was responsible for the creation of “Ryan’s Law” legislation while a member of the Official Opposition that sets standards of care for children attending Ontario schools requiring the use of asthma medication. He has served in various roles in government including PC Health Critic, Natural Resources and Forestry Critic, and Transportation and Auto Insurance Reform Critic, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, Minister of Transportation, and is currently the Minister of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks.
Jeff continues to be a trusted advocate for local concerns in Elgin-Middlesex-London. When not at Queen’s Park, he enjoys quality family time with his wife Jenn, daughter Maggie, and dog Thatcher, travelling, attending local events, and visiting the family cottage.
Vanmala Subramaniam, Business Reporter, The Logic
Vanmala Subramaniam is a business reporter with The Logic, focusing on Canada’s tech sector and innovation economy. A business journalist with over a decade of reporting across Canadian media, she joins us from the Financial Post, where she covered the cannabis industry. As the Post’s cannabis reporter she investigated and broke stories on the biggest names in legal cannabis, establishing herself as a must-read for anybody with a stake in the nascent industry. Prior to that she led Vice Canada’s Money vertical, where her areas of coverage included the housing market. She began her career as a television producer at the CBC, working on various business and current affairs programs including The Fifth Estate. She has travelled the world producing investigative documentaries, including one from the ground in Indonesia on the wrongful conviction of Canadian teacher Neil Bantleman which was instrumental in securing Bantleman’s freedom.