This afternoon I was saddened to hear of the passing of Andrew Telegdi, PC, at the age of 70.
Andrew Telegdi served as a City of Waterloo and Regional Councillor from 1985-1993, and as Member of Parliament for Waterloo, later Kitchener-Waterloo, between 1993 and 2008. During that time he served as a member of Privy Council and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.
He was a University of Waterloo graduate where he served as president of UW’s Federation of Students, was a Board Member of the Working Centre, and a member of the Board of Governors at Wilfrid Laurier University. Importantly, Mr. Telegdi was also a refugee, who came to Canada from Hungary with his family in 1957.
A firm supporter of community-based justice, he served as Executive Director for Youth in Conflict with the Law, and was an active supporter of Waterloo Region’s Crime Prevention Council and Community Justice Initiatives.
On behalf of the residents of the Kitchener-Waterloo, I would like to extend my condolences to his family and friends. I would also like to sincerely thank his family for sharing Andrew with our community.