Dipika Damerla
| Dipika Damerla | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Seniors Affairs | |
|
In office June 13, 2016 – June 28, 2018 | |
| Premier | Kathleen Wynne |
| Preceded by | Mario Sergio |
| Succeeded by | Raymond Cho |
| Associate Minister for Long-Term Care and Wellness | |
|
In office June 24, 2014 – June 13, 2016 | |
| Premier | Kathleen Wynne |
| Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Mississauga East—Cooksville | |
|
In office October 6, 2011 – June 7, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Peter Fonseca |
| Succeeded by | Kaleed Rasheed |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hyderabad, Telangana, India |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Website | dipikadamerla.onmpp.ca |
Dipika Damerla is a Canadian former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was the Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing the riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville from 2011 until 2018. She served as Minister of Seniors Affairs in the Cabinet of Premier Kathleen Wynne.
Background
Damerla was born in Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India (Present day Telangana). After emigrating to Canada she earned her MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. She worked in corporate banking at the Royal Bank of Canada and the Bank of Nova Scotia. Prior to her first election to the Ontario Legislature she was Senior Policy Advisor to Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Trade. She lives in Mississauga with her daughter, Sharmeila.[1]
Provincial politics
Damerla is a member of the Ontario Liberal Party. She won a tough 2011 nomination race to be the Liberal candidate for Mississauga East—Cooksville, beating Nancy Fonseca (the sister of previous Mississauga East—Cooksville MPP Peter Fonseca).[2] She beat her nearest rival, Progressive Conservative Zoran Churchin by 4,238 votes in the 2011 provincial election.[3][4]
In November 2011, she was appointed as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Infrastructure.[5] In April 2012, Damerla introduced a resolution to reform the 1998 Condominium Act. Her resolution would help facilitate disputes between condiminium boards and owners. She said that the current system is long and costly. She said, "the act provided a dispute resolution process which was right for that time and the place. However, 14 years later, times have changed. Our province is a very different place now." The resolution passed first reading in June.[6]
She was re-elected in the 2014 provincial election.[7]
Cabinet Minister
In June 2014, Damerla was appointed as an Associate Minister (minister without portfolio) for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care focusing on long-term care.[8] She then succeeded Mario Sergio as Minister responsible for Seniors Affairs, another minister without portfolio position, in a June 13, 2016 cabinet shuffle.
Damerla was appointed Minister of Seniors Affairs, leading a new standalone ministry created from the former Ontario Seniors' Secretariat, on January 12, 2017.[9]
In the 2018 provincial election, Damerla was defeated in Mississauga East—Cooksville by Progressive Conservative candidate Kaleed Rasheed.[10]
Municipal politics
Damerla registered on July 19, 2018 to run as a candidate for Mississauga City Council in the 2018 Mississauga municipal election.[11]
Electoral record
| Ontario general election, 2018: Mississauga East—Cooksville | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ** Preliminary results — Not yet official ** | ||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Kaleed Rasheed | 17,862 | 41.15 | +14.95 | ||||
| Liberal | Dipika Damerla | 13,120 | 30.23 | −22.10 | ||||
| New Democratic | Tom Takacs | 9,871 | 22.74 | +7.35 | ||||
| Green | Basia Krzyzanowski | 1,498 | 3.45 | −0.07 | ||||
| Libertarian | Mark Donaldson | 463 | 1.07 | −0.90 | ||||
| None of the Above | Leonard Little | 413 | 0.95 | – | ||||
| Ontario Moderate Party | Mykola Ponomarenko | 175 | 0.40 | – | ||||
| Total valid votes | 100.0 | |||||||
| Progressive Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | +18.52 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[12] | ||||||||
| Ontario general election, 2014: Mississauga East—Cooksville | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Dipika Damerla | 20,934 | 52.33 | +6.59 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Zoran Churchin | 10,479 | 26.20 | −7.06 | ||||
| New Democratic | Fayaz Karim | 6,158 | 15.39 | −1.40 | ||||
| Green | Linh Nguyen | 1,408 | 3.52 | +0.97 | ||||
| Libertarian | Levko Iwanusiw | 788 | 1.97 | |||||
| Equal Parenting | Dolly Catena | 234 | 0.58 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 40,001 | 100.0 | ||||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 557 | 1.37 | ||||||
| Turnout | 40,558 | 43.89 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 92,402 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | +6.83 | ||||||
Source(s)
Elections Ontario (2014). "Official Returns from the Records, 048 Mississauga East-Cooksville" (PDF). Retrieved 13 March 2015.
| ||||||||
| Ontario general election, 2011: Mississauga East—Cooksville | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| Liberal | Dipika Damerla | 15,535 | 45.74 | −13.19 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Zoran Churchin | 11,297 | 33.26 | +10.18 | ||||
| New Democratic | Waseem Ahmed | 5,704 | 16.79 | +8.33 | ||||
| Green | Lloyd Jones | 934 | 2.75 | −3.50 | ||||
| Independent | Winston Harding | 199 | 0.59 | |||||
| Freedom | Jonathon Dury | 177 | 0.52 | −0.12 | ||||
| Paramount Canadians | Shriya Shah-Klorfine | 117 | 0.34 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 33,963 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 191 | 0.56 | ||||||
| Turnout | 34,154 | 40.50 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 84,330 | |||||||
| Liberal hold | Swing | −11.69 | ||||||
Source(s)
Elections Ontario (2011). "Official return from the records / Rapport des registres officiels - Mississauga East—Cooksville" (PDF). Retrieved 3 June 2014.
| ||||||||
References
- ↑ Chin, Joseph (January 10, 2012). "MPP finds her calling". Mississauga News. p. 1.
- ↑ Dean, Jan (July 15, 2011). "Nomination fiercely contested". Mississauga News. p. 1.
- ↑ Chin, Joe (October 7, 2011). "Rookie wins for Grits". Mississauga News. p. 1.
- ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 6, 2011. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 30, 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- ↑ Rosella, Louie (November 11, 2011). "MPPs take on new roles". Mississauga News. p. 1.
- ↑ Clay, Chris (June 18, 2012). "MPP Damerla's condo dispute motion passes first reading". Mississauga News. p. 1.
- ↑ "General Election by District: Mississauga East-Cooksville". Elections Ontario. June 12, 2014. Archived from the original on September 23, 2014.
- ↑ Richard Brennan; Robert Benzie; Rob Ferguson (June 24, 2014). "Kathleen Wynne warns financial cupboard is bare". Toronto Star.
- ↑ "Mississauga MPP Damerla appointed to lead new seniors ministry". The Mississauga News. Metroland Media Group. January 13, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
- ↑ Rayner, Ben (June 7, 2018). "Two cabinet ministers felled in Mississauga East—Cooksville and Mississauga-Lakeshore". Toronto Star. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
- ↑ Raza, Ali (July 19, 2018). "Former Wynne cabinet minister Dipika Damerla runs for Ward 7". Mississauga News. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
- ↑ "Candidate Search". Elections Ontario. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
