Minister of Healthy Living and Sports
Mary Polak was elected to the Legislature in 2005 to represent Langley. On June 23, 2008, Mary was appointed to Cabinet as the Minister of Healthy Living and Sports.
Mary Polak is Director of Operations for a small business, a trustee on the Surrey School Board, and sits on the Board's Finance Committee. Under her leadership, Surrey became the first school district in B.C. to balance its books according to generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) — the savings meant more money for new books, computers, and shop equipment. She also led an initiative to make Surrey the first school district in the province to publish school-by-school results for both elementary and secondary schools.
Throughout her nine years in local government, Mary has served with many regional and provincial organizations. As a representative to the Lower Mainland Consortium of School Districts for Successful Settlement, she has twice presented briefs to the Federal Immigration Commission. In the mid 1990s, Mary served as chair of the Council of British Columbia School Districts and in 2003 she was elected to the board of directors of the British Columbia School Trustees Association. Mary is widely respected for her expertise regarding local governance and is a frequent presenter to both provincial and national conferences.
Mary continues to advocate for an increased role for parents and students in education and supports traditional, fine arts and Montessori schools.
At home, Mary’s interests range from reading to spinning wool. However, her chief hobby is playing the piano, a talent she honed while a student at the Langley Community Music School. Her family roots in British Columbia are unusually deep. Her grandfather was born in British Columbia and his family were early pioneers in the Agassiz-Harrison region.
Mary lives in Willoughby with her teenaged daughter.
