Mike Savage is a respected politician and business leader with a lifelong commitment to serving the people of Nova Scotia.
For the past 12 years, Mr. Savage has served as the Mayor of Halifax Regional Municipality, a role to which he was first elected in 2012, then re-elected twice. As Mayor, he has worked to grow the local economy, foster greater social and economic inclusion, and promote a healthy, sustainable environment. He has also been an active member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Big City Mayors’ Caucus (BCMC), including as Co-Chair of FCM’s Syrian Refugee Response Task Force in 2015. That same year, he became President of the World Energy Cities partnership, an international organization of cities with significant energy sector interests. He is Chair of the BCMC since 2021.
Prior to his election as Mayor, Mr. Savage served three terms as the Member of Parliament for Dartmouth—Cole Harbour. During this time, he was a strong voice for his community and an advocate for inclusion, including through his work to advance same-sex marriage and disability rights. He was also an active member of various parliamentary committees, groups, and associations, including the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, of which he served as Vice-Chair.
Before entering politics, Mr. Savage spent 20 years of his career in business, in Halifax. He has been involved in numerous community organizations focused on health, the arts, education, and humanitarian work. He was previously a board member for the IWK Health Centre in Halifax – a provincial children’s hospital – and President of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Nova Scotia. In 2016, he was honoured as a Modern Maker of Canada by the Institute on Governance during a ceremony recognizing the growing role of civic leaders in driving economic prosperity for our country.
Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Mr. Savage came to Canada with his family at the age of six. He grew up in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, before attending Dalhousie University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in History. He and his wife, Darlene, have two children.