The flags at Ottawa City Hall will be lowered to half-mast from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, May 25 in honour of the late Diane Deans, who passed away on Tuesday, May 14.
Diane Deans was born and raised in Caledon, Ontario. A graduate of the University of Guelph, she later moved to Ottawa and worked as a staff member on Parliament Hill before entering municipal politics. She was first elected to the former Southgate Ward in 1994 and represented the post-amalgamation Gloucester-Southgate Ward until 2022. As a City Councillor, she chaired several high-profile committees including the Community and Protective Services Committee, the Transit Commission and was the first woman to chair the Ottawa Police Services Board.
Diane Deans was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019. Her battle was tough, but she fought the disease with the same passion, tenacity and fearless spirit that she brought to her work as a City Councillor for nearly 30 years.
A celebration of life, open to the public, will take place on Saturday, May 25, at 2 pm at the Infinity Convention Centre on Gibford Drive, followed by a reception.
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