Basil Stewart

Basil Stewart, son of Helen and the late Raymond Stewart, grew up on a farm in Glengarry, P.E.I.  In 1971, he graduated from the inaugural class of the Police Science Cadet program at the Atlantic Police Academy and then joined the Summerside Police Department. Basil worked in all three sections of the department: traffic, general police work, and investigation. He is committed to lifelong learning, and during his time with the police department, he received additional training from Holland College, the Canadian Police College, and the RCMP.

In 1984, Basil retired from the police department to pursue other interests, and on November 26, 1985 he was elected mayor of Summerside. Mayor Stewart’s distinguished leadership was first seen from a national perspective when he led the forces in the fight to regain some economic capacity following the announcement of the closure of CFB Summerside. His leadership ensured that the Slemon Park Corporation developed into the major aerospace and training center that it is today.

For over 25 years, Basil was the leader of the progressive city council that has overseen the redevelopment of the majority of the city’s infrastructure, including City Hall, the police station, the development of Credit Union Place, a wind farm and other major projects. In 1989 Mayor Stewart was chosen as Summerside’s Citizen of the Year.

In addition to being mayor of Summerside, Basil was also on many committees. He served as the vice-chair of Atlantic Mayors Congress and is a Paul Harris Fellow through Rotary International. He was the former president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, a member of the Federation of Prince Edward Island Municipalities, and sat on the National Board of Directors to Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure. In the past, he served as chair of the Atlantic Caucus in 1998 and chair of the National Economic Development Committee from 1998-2000.  Basil also served as a National vice-chair of the Experience Canada board and Canada 125, and is a founding member of the Trans Canada Trail Foundation.

Basil received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2010.