By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer
Mayor Edward Bedard gave Sarnians a tax break when they needed it most.
Bedard, who was elected our 53rd Chief Magistrate in 1935, slashed taxes during the height of the Great Depression.
Born in 1885 in the tiny Huron County community of Holmesville, he taught bilingual school in Clinton before quitting in 1909 to become an engineering student at University of Toronto.
After graduation he went to work for Imperial Oil in Saskatchewan and British Columbia before being transferred to Sarnia.
Bedard entered politics in 1925 when he was elected to the local Catholic School Board. Six years later he won a seat on City Council as an Alderman. After four years in that position he was elected Mayor.
Within three months of taking office he had engineered a major tax break, cutting expenditures by nearly $17,000.00. Although that doesn’t sound like much today, it was a great deal of cash.
With the cut, Council was able to pass a Current Budget of less than $7 million for the first time in several years.
Despite the reduction in spending, the Municipality still managed to carry out a good deal of storm sewer and road work. In fact, 41 men were hired for 100 days to complete the projects.
During the Second World War, Bedard went to Ottawa to become Superintendent of Naval Fuel Service for the Royal Canadian Navy.
Returning to Sarnia after the war, he went back to work for Imperial Oil until his retirement in 1954.
Bedard, who was married to Blanche Bohanan, had four children. He died on May 13, 1962, at age 77 in St. Joseph’s Hospital.