Meet Jeyas Balaskanthan.
An all-in feet-on-the-street community leader. A man of the people. He has loved calling Waterloo home for 29 years.
The facts
- 1977
- Born in Badulla, Sri Lanka
- 1994
- Immigrated to Canada during the Sri Lankan Civil War
- 1997
- Became a Canadian citizen in East York, Ontario
- 1997
- Moved to Waterloo to attend Wilfrid Laurier University
- 2001–2022
- Held leadership positions at WLU and the University of Waterloo
- 2018–2022
- Member, City of Waterloo Neighbourhood Grants Committee
- 2021–Current
- Board Member, Lakeshore Village Optimist Club
- 2021–2025
- Racial Equity Fund Grants Committee, Waterloo Region Community Foundation
- 2022–Current
- Executive Director, Uptown Waterloo Business Improvement Area
- Current
- Member, City of Waterloo Economic Development Committee
Jeyas is a leader people love to work with.
His decades of leadership success are rooted in showing up, listening and getting things done.
- He dares to ask why not?!
- He despises broken political promises, wasting time & unnecessary red tape.
- He admits mistakes.
- He celebrates others.
- He brings people together.
- He rallies support to make big ideas happen.
“I'm not a career politician, a tech guru or a civil engineer. I'm a leader — one who will harness the expertise of all of them, and who loves this city.”