Jack Volrich was born in Anyox, British Columbia

Anyox, British Columbia

Anyox was a small company-owned mining town in British Columbia, Canada. Today it is largely destroyed and abandoned. It is located about southwest of Stewart, British Columbia on the shores of Observatory Inlet...

 and was the 33rd mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, 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 1977 to 1980. Prior to this, he practiced law and 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...

 on the Vancouver City Council

Vancouver City Council

Vancouver City Council is the governing body of the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.The city is governed by the Vancouver Charter, not the Community Charter and the Local Government Act which are used for other municipal governments...

.

He started his political career with the municipal political party, TEAM

The Electors' Action Movement

TEAM was a centrist political party from 1968 to the mid-1980s at the municipal level in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It fielded candidates for the office of mayor as well as for positions on the city council, school board, and park board...

. However, he left TEAM during his first term as mayor and ran successfully as an independent in the 1978 election. He was defeated in 1980 by Michael Harcourt

Michael Harcourt

Michael Franklin Harcourt served as the 30th Premier of the province of British Columbia in Canada from 1991 to 1996, and before that as the 34th mayor of BC's major city, Vancouver from 1980 to 1986....

. Important issues during Volrich's tenure as mayor included the proposed construction of a trade and convention centre and the debate over the ward system method of electing aldermen to city council.

Volrich resumed practicing law, but returned to the political world when he ran unsuccessfully as a Progressive Conservative Party

Progressive Conservative Party of Canada

The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....

 candidate for Parliament

Parliament of Canada

The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...

 in the electoral district of Vancouver East

Vancouver East

Vancouver East is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935....

 in the 1984 election

Canadian federal election, 1984

The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...

. In 1992-1993, he was an organizer for and supporter of David Varty

David Varty

David Lawrence Varty is a lawyer and author in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.Varty is author of the book, Who Gets Ungava?, analyzing the legal and constitutional issues , relating to the potential secession of the province of Quebec from Canada...

, a candidate for the federal Liberal Party

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 nomination in the electoral district of Vancouver Centre

Vancouver Centre

Vancouver Centre is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917.-Geography:...

.

In 1999, he was found guilty of professional misconduct for practising law while under suspension.