The Town of Grimsby Appoints a New Director of Planning and Building

Town Council and Chief Administrative Officer, Sarah Kim, are pleased to announce that Harold Madi has accepted the position of Director of Planning and Building at the Town of Grimsby. The Town is excited to find a candidate who will not only meet the many demands of the Director of Planning and Building position, but will also be a key resource to our community, council, and staff. Harold will begin his tenure with the Town on September 5, 2023.

Harold has over 25-years of experience leading numerous large-scale, multi-faceted, and visionary projects across Canada and internationally. He has held a number of prominent positions in both the private and public sectors, including founding Principal of Urbanism by Design (UxD), Director of Urban Design for the City of Toronto, Senior Principal and Urban Places Canada Lead for Stantec, and many more. For over 10 years, Harold has also been a part-time faculty member at the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Harold brings an insightful, ‘big picture’ perspective on all aspects of urbanism to his work, and has received a number of awards for master planning, revitalization, intensification, and urban design strategies and guidelines for a variety of contexts and scales, including campuses, downtowns, corridors, and waterfronts.

Harold noted that he is “thrilled to be working for the Town of Grimsby. I couldn’t be more honoured to be leading the planning of one of Canada’s best communities to live. Particularly at this juncture in its evolutionary history, as the town grapples with unprecedented development pressures and must come to terms with what kind of place Grimsby ought to evolve into for the 21st century. Change is coming and there is no stopping it, but there are ways that it can be managed and shaped, such that it contributes positively and reinforces the defining treasured qualities of this community. To that end, I am confident that my experience working in diverse and comparable contexts over the last 25 years can be of tremendous assistance and I am excited to roll up my sleeves and get that ball rolling”.

“As you know, planning and development is a very important issue to the residents and members of Council. As such, members of Council and Town Staff completed an extensive recruitment process to ensure we bring the most qualified candidate to Grimsby. Harold brings a wealth of knowledge, innovative ideas, and is very skilled at responding to the evolving challenges faced by the planning and building departments, and the Town. We are very pleased to have him join the Town of Grimsby, bringing his skills, knowledge, and perspectives to the table” said Mayor Jeff Jordan.

Contact Information:

Sarah Kim
Chief Administrative Officer
cao@grimsby.ca | 905-945-9634

Dan Rummo
Manager of Human Resources
hr@grimsby.ca | 905-945-9634