About Gord
Gord Hume is recognized as one of Canada’s leading voices on municipal government, sustainable urban development, cultural planning, and creative cities. He is a passionate and provocative public speaker, an advisor to civic governments, and a respected and thoughtful author and commentator on local government and community issues.
Gord is a highly respected and sought-after public speaker who is known for his inspiring presentations. He has addressed major audiences and local governments in Asia, Europe, New Zealand and across Canada and the United States. Gord was the opening keynote speaker at the 2nd UNESCO Congress on Creative Cities in South Korea.
And now, Gord is also a novelist! His first non-fiction book was published in 2018. “SAPPHIRE BLUE” is a romantic comedy with a nice little murder, city hall corruption and a fun and funny look at life in Florida. Order it at: www.burnstownpublishing.com
Gord was elected to London City Council four times. His strong leadership was shown by his record of accomplishment while in public service, which included: Chair, London Police Services Board; Chair, London Public Library Board; Chair, London’s Creative City Task Force; Chair, London’s Creative City Committee; Chair, Small Business Task Force, and many other key civic appointments.
He is the author of seven important non-fiction books on local government, designing and building great cities, and improving the quality of life in our towns and cities. To order any of Gord’s non-fiction books, simply go to www.municipalworld.com. He is also a co-author of two other non-fiction books on cities.
Gord is the founding Editor of PERSPECTIVES, a bi-monthly e-magazine about local government in Canada. He is also a well-known writer of numerous newspaper and magazine articles on various aspects of municipal government, development and local planning issues, cultural planning, local food and health concerns, the new CRINK Economy, and building strong communities. He is a regular commentator on TV and radio.
He is a national columnist for the important Canadian web site “The Municipal Information Network” out of Montreal. He has been a contributor to GOVERNING Magazine in Washington, DC, the Tampa Bay Times, the Canada West Foundation, the International Ivey Business Journal, and many other publications.
As an author, entrepreneur, successful businessman and community leader, Gord has a remarkable record of success. He was in the media industry for many years, winning two “Broadcaster of the Year” awards plus many other national and international awards. He was President of London Broadcasters Limited. He was the founding Publisher of what became Canada’s largest independent community newspaper. Gord created Symphonia Canada, produced three record albums, wrote and produced many radio and TV shows, and served terms as President of the Central Canada Broadcasters Association, Treasurer of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, and board member of the International Broadcast Marketing Executives.
As a strong and respected community leader, Gord has consistently displayed his leadership skills and commitment to building strong, prosperous communities. He has served as President of the London Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Parkwood Hospital Foundation, Chair of the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging, board member of the Lawson Health and Research Institute, and many other community organizations and associations.
Gord was the first Chair of the Ontario Municipal Cultural Planning Inc, a unique private and public sector body devoted to helping municipalities with cultural mapping and planning. He was one of the original board members of Innovation Ontario, a unique Provincial government agency investing in hi-tech investments.
He has twice served as an international volunteer management consultant for CESO, assisting private radio stations in Guatemala and in Ukraine.
Gord has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Ontario in London, a college instructor at Conestoga College in Kitchener, and a guest lecturer at many other Canadian and US colleges and universities including Niagara University in New York, the University of Minnesota and the Richard Ivey School of Business.
Gord today remains President of Hume Communications Inc, which he founded in 1988. The company provides professional independent advice and assistance to municipalities and community organizations.
His personal interests include cooking, collecting chess sets from around the world, reading, and exploring the people, cultures and cuisines of the world. He has travelled extensively in Asia and SE Asia, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South and Central America and across North America.