# Gary Bennett (politician)

Gary Bennett is a Canadian politician and local businessperson. He served as the mayor of the City of Kingston, Ontario, Canada, from 1994 to 2000,

## Work and education

Bennett graduated from the Loyalist Collegiate and Vocational Institute in 1972. He later went on to earn an Honours BA in Political Science from Queen’s University and a Masters in Public Administration from the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University.
Bennett began his early career working in his family’s business, Bennett’s Foods. He is currently employed as a Manager for Bendale Property Management, a condominium and asset management company that manages properties throughout the Kingston, Gananoque and Brockville regions. Bennett has participated in the riding associations of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, its successor, the Conservative Party of Canada and the provincial Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.

## Local councillor

Bennett began serving on Kingston City Council after being elected as the city counsellor for St. Lawrence Ward in 1988. He served two terms as the counsellor for the St. Lawrence district of the City of Kingston between 1988 and 1994.
During his time on council, Bennett served on the Kingston Police Services Board, the Kingston Library Board, Town Homes Kingston and the District Health Council for the region. He was active on the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) serving on the Large Urban Caucus.

## Mayor

Bennett was elected for two terms as Mayor of the City of Kingston, serving his first term from 1994 to 1997. As the head of council, he participated in an initiative to create the new City of Kingston from the old City of Kingston, Kingston Township, and Pittsburgh Township. The area reached a locally negotiated agreement on amalgamation, which was not universally achieved in Ontario. As part of the amalgamation agreement, the local Public Utilities Commission was also assumed by the new City of Kingston. Bennett served as the last mayor of the former City of Kingston.
In 1996, during his first term in office, Bennett spoke at the yearly gravesite ceremony honouring Canada’s first prime minister and Kingston resident John A. Macdonald. His address was later published by the Kingston Historical Society.
Bennett was elected in 1997 as the first mayor of the newly amalgamated City of Kingston and served as mayor from 1997 to 2000. During his term, the city responded to a locally declared civic emergency, the Ice Storm of 1998, with Bennett serving as mayor. During his term, the city established a yearly capital surcharge on all property tax classes; he also chaired a local United Way campaign.
Bennett was unsuccessful when he ran for re-election in 2000, losing to Isabel Turner. Challenges associated with the new city’s first post-amalgamation government were cited as a factor in the election outcome.

## Provincial politics

On June 11, 2017, Bennett was nominated to represent the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in Kingston and the Islands in the 2018 provincial election. He succeeded against three other challengers for the nomination but was defeated in the subsequent provincial election, placing third behind the NDP and Liberal candidates.
vte2022 Ontario general election: Kingston and the Islands :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Ted Hsu | 18,360 | 37.66 | +10.14 | $75,749 |
| | New Democratic | Mary Rita Holland | 15,186 | 31.15 | −8.00 | $130,691 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Gary Bennett | 11,973 | 24.56 | −1.52 | $62,419 |
| | Green | Zachary Typhair | 1,601 | 3.28 | −3.14 | $15,397 |
| | Ontario Party | Shalea Beckwith | 827 | 1.70 | | $7,396 |
| | New Blue | Stephen Skyvington | 429 | 0.88 | | $7,078 |
| | Independent | Shelley Joanne Galloway | 130 | 0.27 | | $0 |
| | Communist | Sebastian Vaillancourt | 123 | 0.25 | | $0 |
| | Consensus Ontario | Laurel Claus Johnson | 120 | 0.25 | | $0 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 48,749 | 99.49 | | $146,496 |
| Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots | 249 | 0.51 | −0.40 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,998 | 46.84 | −10.45 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 104,601 |
| | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Swing | Swing | +9.07 |
| Source(s) "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. 2025. |||||||
vte2018 Ontario general election: Kingston and the Islands :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | New Democratic | Ian Arthur | 21,788 | 39.16 | +9.73 |
| | Liberal | Sophie Kiwala | 15,312 | 27.52 | −14.54 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Gary Bennett | 14,512 | 26.08 | +5.28 |
| | Green | Robert Kiley | 3,574 | 6.42 | −0.81 |
| | Libertarian | Heather Cunningham | 274 | 0.49 | |
| | Trillium | Andre Imbeault | 184 | 0.33 | |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 55,644 | 99.09 |
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 510 | 0.91 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56,154 | 57.29 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 98,020 |
| | New Democratic gain from Liberal | New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +12.14 |
| Source: Elections Ontario |||||||