Candidate: Didier Pomerleau

Who are you?

I grew up in a small mining town and, after high school, lived in Montreal for nine years, but Toronto has been my home for the past twelve years. I was a university teacher, but now work as a financial policy advisor for the Province's Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities. My background is in Administrative Studies (MBA, PhD), Alternative Dispute Resolution (LLM), and Education Policy (M.Ed., in progress).

In my student days I served the campus community through a wide number of university councils, committees, and student groups. Currently, I serve my ethno-linguistic community by volunteering at Toronto's Francophone Centre, and my neighbourhood community by participating on my condo board. I serve the broader society by dedicating my professional career to public service, first as a teacher, now as a civil servant, and soon, if you'll support me, as a city councillor.

To relax, I like cinema (everything from hollywood epics to small indie films), reading (science-fiction, history, cultural studies, sociology), theatre, and hanging out with my friends.


Why are you running?

If you want something done well, do it yourself! That's why I want to get involved in how my city is governed. Let me use my passion for politics and my organizational skills to help Toronto live up to its world city aspiration by making it one of the planet's best places to live.


What should a City Councillor be?

A City Councillor should be a quick learner, be able to think outside the box, and love his/her city. He/she should combine idealism with the pragmatism necessary to get things done collaboratively. Above all, he/she should have a sense of humor.


Anything else?

It's not enough to just handle today's crises. We must think ahead 20 and 40 years about the city we want to live in. This is the only way to ensure sustainable city planning and development.

We need new leaders.