First elected in 2006, Godwin Chan has provided community leadership in a wide range of areas, including policing, education, public health and road safety for over two decades. He has served on the York Regional Police Services Board, the University of Toronto’s Academic Board and the Public Library Boards in Richmond Hill and Vaughan. As a volunteer, he helped found Richmond Hill Road Watch and served as the Founding Treasurer and Fundraising Chair. Working with other volunteers in the community, he helped to found the Youth Cadets Unit for St. John Ambulance in Richmond Hill.

After serving as Acting Regional Councillor for almost a year in 2021-22, he continues to represent Richmond Hill at the York Regional Council as Regional and Local Councillor for 2022-26. Having received the most votes in the October 2022 election, he has been designated as the Deputy Mayor of the City, and is the longest-serving member on Richmond Hill Council. In the past four terms, he took pride in successfully having the David Dunlap Observatory recognized as Canada’s National Historic Site, founding Yonge North Group to work with others to gain commitments to extend Yonge subway to Richmond Hill, championing for Age-Friendly Community, opening the first 404 mid-block crossing, and completing  revitalization of David Hamilton Park with first indoor all-season tracks, outdoor exercise equipment and table tennis.

Currently, Deputy Mayor continues to serve as Chair of Economic Development Committee. At the regional level, he has been appointed as the Co-Chair of the York Region Human Services Planning Board to work with multi-sector executives to plan priorities and implement the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan. For the 2022-26 term, Deputy Mayor Chan takes on the role as Director of Housing York Inc. and York Region Rapid Transit Corporation to work on community housing and public transit, including the Yonge North Subway. In addition to local and regional levels, Deputy Mayor Chan has been elected by municipal peers to serve as a Director of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities at the national level between 2013 and 2020 as well as 2023-24.

In June 2016, Deputy Mayor Chan’s achievements were recognized and he received the RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award for making a positive difference in Canada. In 2017, he was chosen as one of the Canada 150 Community Leaders. In August 2022, Deputy Mayor Chan was honoured with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award for his contribution to the community over the years. In addition to his professional law degree of Juris Doctor, he has earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University to deepen his knowledge and further hone his skills in public service.