Susan DiMarco: Bio

Susan DiMarco has served the citizens of Brampton for more than 20 years and has concentrated her community commitment on the rejuvenation of the City’s downtown core.

Susan began her career in 1985 being elected Alderman in Ward 5. Over the next six years, she served as Chair of the Queen Street Corridor Plan and Chair of the City’s By-law Committee. Susan’s commitment to the community is reflected in her active involvement in a wide range of key, community-focused committees including: the Seniors’ Council, the Brampton Arts Council, the Downtown Business Area Board, the City’s Planning, Design and Development Committee, Community Services Committee and Works and Transportation Committee.

Her commitment to broader city issues is evidenced by her participation on Brampton’s inaugural Strategic Planning Committee; her input was instrumental in developing the first strategic municipal plan in Canada.

In 1991, Councillor DiMarco stepped down as Alderman to pursue her personal interest in the City‘s downtown redevelopment opportunities as she accepted the position of Executive Director with the Brampton Downtown Business Association (BDBA). Under her leadership, the BDBA introduced a number of innovative initiatives including: the Thursday night Concert Series in Gage Park, downtown carriage rides and the very successful evening Santa Claus parade. Her efforts relocated the Farmers’ Market to Main Street, introduced decorative downtown banners and brought the DuMaurier Jazz Festival to Brampton for a brief period of time making downtown Brampton a venue of choice for city wide events and a preferred location for family entertainment.

During her tenure as Executive Director, the BDBA regained its financial viability through sound, forward thinking financial planning and prudent, effective management, developing many of the programs downtown Brampton enjoys today.

At the urging of her community, Susan re-entered municipal politics in 1997, being elected as a City Councillor to represent the 45,000 people who live in Ward 4. In 2000, Councillor DiMarco was elected to serve on Peel Regional Council and currently represents approximately 87,000 constituents in Wards 3 and 4. This is her second term as a Regional Councillor and her constituency continues to include a major part of the downtown commercial core combining large areas of heritage buildings with new, developing residential neighbourhoods and industrial areas. Her present priority includes the redevelopment of Steeles Avenue from Dixie through to Mavis Road including extensive widening and streetscape improvements.

Councillor DiMarco brings her previous Council and BDBA experience to the re-development of the old fairgrounds adjacent to Brampton’s downtown core. She is spearheading several citywide historical preservation advocacy programs and is committed to an expanded live theatre development program. Susan actively advocates for significant changes to safety innovations and enhancement for pedestrians by diverting truck traffic and delivery routes in the commercial downtown area to ensure Brampton’s core remains the ‘people friendly’ place her efforts with the BDBA began. Currently Susan is focused on improvements to Dixie and Kennedy Roads in an effort to redirect heavy commercial traffic from local residential roads and the downtown core are.

Susan continues to pursue and advocate for the construction of the new Brampton Campus of the William Osler Health Centre and redevelopment of the Lynch Street facility as a key anchor to the city’s downtown core. Susan is committed to establishing an efficient, destination-driven public transit system for Brampton and the preservation of the City’s green space through an $8 million naturalization project. The City’s four major valley lands and tree protection legislation are testament to her commitment to environmental stewardship.

As Regional Councillor, Susan chairs the Human Services Committee and is an active member of the Peel Housing Corporation Board of Directors and Peel’s Long-Term Care Subcommittee thus reflecting her commitment to ensuring Brampton’s quality of life remains among the highest in Canada. Her interests are varied and she lends her expertise to the Peel Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Committee and the Peel Heritage Complex Advisory Board.

In addition to her work on City and Regional Council, Council Susan has been an active volunteer over the years chairing the Brampton Heart and Stoke Foundation, participating as a Canvass Chair for the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Campaign, and offering her time as Vice Chair of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee. Councillor DiMarco was actively involved in the City of Brampton’s Sesquicentennial Celebration as a member of the Education/Reference Historical Working Group leading the Great Brampton Sesqui Search, which assembled a collection of historical artifacts donated by the public.

Susan has raised three children in Brampton and continues to live in the downtown core of the community she has served and lived in for over 30 years.