Colin Kinsley was the mayor of Prince George, British Columbia

Prince George, British Columbia

Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 from December 1996 through November 2008, when he chose to retire. He has been a resident of Prince George since 1971.

Early years

Before he began in public office, Kinsley worked for 30 years in the natural gas

Natural gas

Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...

 industry.

Early political career

Kinsley served as an alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 from 1984-1993. During that time, he also served four years as chairman of the regional district board. Aside from his mayoral duties, Kinsley was also a director on the board of the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George and a director on the boards of several Prince George community groups including the Northern Medical School Program Action Group.

Kinsley served as the president of the North Central Municipal Association in 1989-1990.