Classification Talks are an important part of Rotary's Vocational Service. Today Russ Powers gave his “Re-Classification Talk”. Russ is a charter member of the Rotary Club of Dundas Valley Sunrise and his classification at the time was Medical Laboratory Technology. He left the club in 2012 because he could not attend any Tuesday meetings because of his new job. He has recently returned with the new classification “Municipal Consultation”.
Russ is probably the only member of the DVSRC with his own page on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Powers. Russ has lived in Dundas for 55 years and for most residents he would be known as Mr. Dundas. He was born in Toronto and moved with his family to Dundas in 1966. He was educated at Dundas District High School, Mohawk College and the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene. He worked at McMaster University in laboratory medicine from 1979 until his retirement in 2007. Russ also has military experience, having served as a Logistics Officer in the Canadian Army & Air Reserves.
Russ was first elected to municipal office in Dundas in 1982. In 1995, he became a Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Councillor representing Dundas. When Dundas was amalgamated with Hamilton in 2000, Powers was elected as Dundas' first representative to the Hamilton City Council in the newly created Ward 13. In 2003, the Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) named a bridge on the west-end Rail Trail crossing Binkley Hollow and the Ancaster Creek for Powers. The bridge, a former TH&B Rail bridge, is named "Powers Crossing" in honour of Powers' time as chair of the HCA.
Russ was elected Member of Parliament in the newly created riding of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale in 2004. He returned to Hamilton City Council for Ward 13 2006. From 2012-14, Powers served as President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and a Director of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).
Russ has a real passion for local Dundas history and an impressive collection of post cards – some more than 100 years old. He can frequently be seen driving one of his fully operational fire trucks – especially in the Cactus Festival Parade.
Welcome back to the club Russ!