I recently had the privilege of sitting down with the new Chief Administration Officer for the Township of Scugog, Warren Mar, to learn the story behind this very interesting individual, who manages our township.

When Warren Mar began his studies at the University of Toronto, he did not picture himself heading up a township. He was a science student, immersed in chemistry and materials science engineering, more interested in how things were built, than in how governments worked. Yet even then, he found himself drawn to cities, urban planning, and the quiet machinery of municipal life.

By his second year, that interest had grown too strong to ignore. Law school began to look less like a detour, and more like a doorway into the world he really cared about. He shifted his focus, 

earned his law degree, and discovered that legal training was as much about listening as arguing. It taught him how to frame a position clearly, but also how to hear the real concern behind someone’s words; skills that would prove essential in his future roles.

Warren started in private practice with a Toronto firm specializing in real estate. The work introduced him to the intense nature of building projects: long timelines, tight margins, and constant negotiation sessions. He saw first-hand how the development industry depended on knowledgeable municipalities.

That exposure pulled him toward public service. He moved into municipal law, first with the Town of Aurora, and later as Town Solicitor for Whitby. In Whitby he not only advised council and staff, but also oversaw by-law enforcement, parking, and animal services. The job became especially challenging during the pandemic, when rules changed rapidly, and his team had to balance enforcement with education, often on emotionally charged issues.

From there, Mr. Mar stepped onto the provincial stage as Assistant Commissioner for Privacy and Information, at Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner’s Office. He led investigations into privacy breaches in hospitals, police services, libraries, and other public bodies. The work combined regulation and education; responding to hacks and improper access to health records, while pushing institutions to move away from insecure practices toward more secure digital systems. His message was blunt: it is not if you are attacked, but when, and preparation matters.

In 2023, Mar brought that blend of legal, municipal, and regulatory experience to Scugog, becoming Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for our township. It is an unusual move; few CAOs are lawyers by training. In Scugog, he now wears ‘two hats’: head of the administration and in-house legal advisor.

Under Ontario’s newer ‘strong mayor’ powers, the CAO reports directly to the mayor. That structure places him at the centre of policy, administration, and politics, though he is careful to describe his own role as non-political. Council sets direction; his job is to give clear, impartial advice, and then carry out whatever course they choose.

No two days are the same. Some are filled with strategy sessions and long-term planning; others with immediate problem-solving, community concerns, or legal questions. Routine operational issues are handled by his senior management team, but when there are competing interests, difficult trade-offs, or higher-level decisions to be made, they land on his desk.

Mar has made a point of being visible in the community. He attends Chamber of Commerce events, meets with business owners and residents, and listens to what people are experiencing on the ground. He sees that outreach as an essential part of understanding what council’s decisions mean in daily life, and of building trust in the township’s administration.

Looking ahead, he talks often about continuity and long-term vision. He would like to see Scugog develop a community-driven strategic plan that reaches beyond a single four-year council term—something on a ten to fifteen year horizon. Projects such as the restoration and future use of the historic grain elevator, improvements along the waterfront, and support for on-farm diversified uses, all require patience, consistent effort, and clear priorities that can survive electoral change.

Infrastructure, he acknowledges, is a constant challenge for a small, growth-constrained township. Roads, waterfront amenities, and aging assets, must be maintained with a limited tax base.

Through it all, he returns to the same themes: listening carefully, explaining clearly, and balancing competing needs. For Warren Mar, the attraction of Scugog lies in that balance; a strong sense of community, real constraints, and the opportunity to help shape a thoughtful, long-term future for the township he now calls his own.