At 97, John (Jack) Edwards is a star citizen of Amherstburg, Ont.
He doesn’t miss a council meeting, sits on the local economic development advisory committee, and every two to three weeks has lunch with the mayor.
“I like people. I’ve always loved being with people,” Edwards said, explaining his passion for political volunteerism.
“I have always enjoyed being on small committees, very intimate, and that’s what this is all about.”
Passion for local politics
Edwards is a beloved member of the community and a close friend of Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue.
“Jack is a character. Jack is lovable. Jack is fun…. He’s just a good, good guy,” Prue said. “I’m so proud he’s my friend.”
Edwards’s passion for local politics began many years ago when he lived in nearby Windsor. He joined committees when Bert Weeks was the mayor in the 1970s.
Throughout that time, he also went on some exciting “twin city” visits to Europe, including a 1977 trip to England, during which time the group from Windsor in southwestern Ontario was invited to attend a celebration at Windsor Castle for Queen Elizabeth II’s 25th anniversary of her coronation.
“It was a sensational trip,” he recalled.
He eventually moved to Toronto to work in the pharmaceutical industry and his political volunteerism was put on pause. Twenty-five years ago he eventually made his way back to Windsor-Essex in retirement and settled in Amherstburg.
Appointed every year
Meeting Prue drew Edwards back into politics.
Prue knocked on Edwards’s door while campaigning when he was running for town council (he was elected in 2018). That meeting marked the beginning of their friendship and Edwards’s return to politics.
“He is such a regular, and the town and the council love him,” Prue said.
“He gets appointed every single year to serve on the [development] committee because he’s a fountain of knowledge. He knows everything that has happened around this community for the last, I don’t know, 50 or 60 years.”
During their lunch meetings, Edwards offers advice and helps inform the mayor on what’s best for the town.
“It’s like listening to a whole bunch of really good ideas of what I should do, what the town should do and what he wants to do for economic development. It’s just a joy to come with him,” Prue said.
“Some people don’t like modernization, or movement or the town to change, and Jack is steadfast in saying this is what the town needs.”
Won a special award
His efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. The mayor explained that earlier this year, the town chose two individuals to receive the King Charles III Coronation Medal, given to someone who has made a significant contribution to their community. Prue said the town made sure Edwards was a recipient.
“It was humbling,” Edwards said. “I’m so proud of it.”
The mayor also said he believes Edwards is the oldest contributing member to any council committee in all of Ontario.
“He comes religiously. He knows what he’s talking about. He commands the show,” Prue said.
Aside from his passion for community engagement, Edwards is deeply proud of his family: his wife, six children, 13 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.
As for what keeps him going, good health and keeping an active mind are key.
“It’s when you lose the ability to recognize, to remember — that’s when the pain steps in. And that hasn’t happened to me yet,” he said.
“I keep active. I’m on committees, I meet with people, and that’s what keeps me feeling great.”
