->Ebbedlila at 00:56, 22 September 2021

2021-09-22T00:56:54Z

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{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}

{{Infobox MLA
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Dipika Damerla
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Dipikadamerla.png
| caption = 
| office = [[Mississauga City Council]]lor
| constituency = Ward 7 ([[Cooksville (Mississauga)|Cooksville]])
| term_start = December 3, 2018<ref name="2018-22 council swearing in">{{cite web |title=City of Mississauga Welcomes the 2018-2022 Council |url=http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/cityhall/pressreleases?paf_gear_id=9700020&itemId=9300506q |website=City Hall Newsroom |publisher=City of Mississauga |access-date=December 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20181203041251/http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/cityhall/pressreleases?paf_gear_id=9700020&itemId=9300506q |archive-date=December 3, 2018 |language=en |date=November 22, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| term_end =
| predecessor = Nando Iannica
| successor = 
| office2 = [[Ministry of Seniors Affairs|Minister of Seniors Affairs]]
| term_start2 = June 13, 2016
| term_end2 = June 28, 2018
| premier2 = [[Kathleen Wynne]]
| predecessor2 = [[Mario Sergio (politician)|Mario Sergio]]
| successor2 = [[Raymond Cho (politician)|Raymond Cho]]
| office3 = [[Minister without portfolio|Associate Minister]] for Long-Term Care and Wellness
| term_start3 = June 24, 2014
| term_end3 = June 13, 2016
| premier3 = [[Kathleen Wynne]]
| predecessor3 = 
| parliament4 = Ontario Provincial
| riding4 = [[Mississauga East—Cooksville (provincial electoral district)|Mississauga East—Cooksville]]
| term_start4 = October 6, 2011
| term_end4 = June 7, 2018
| predecessor4 = [[Peter Fonseca]]
| successor4 = [[Kaleed Rasheed]]

| party = [[Independent politician#Canada|Independent]]{{efn|Municipal politicians in Ontario run on a non-partisan basis.}}
| otherparty = [[Ontario Liberal Party|Liberal]]
| birth_date = [[Hyderabad]], [[Telangana]], [[India]]
| birth_place =
| nationality =
| spouse =
| children = 1
| alma_mater = [[University of Toronto]]
| website = {{url|www.dipikadamerla.ca}}
| partner =
| Partner =
}}
'''Dipika Damerla''' is a [[Canadians|Canadian]] politician in [[Mississauga]], [[Ontario]]. She is the current [[Mississauga City Council]]lor for Ward 7, the neighbourhood of [[Cooksville (Mississauga)|Cooksville]], since her swearing-in on December 3, 2018.<ref name="2018-22 council swearing in" /><ref name="elected councillor" /> Previously, Damerla was a [[Ontario Liberal Party|Liberal]] member of the [[Legislative Assembly of Ontario]] representing the riding of [[Mississauga East—Cooksville (provincial electoral district)|Mississauga East—Cooksville]] from 2011 to 2018. She served as Minister of Seniors Affairs in the [[Executive Council of Ontario|Cabinet]] of Premier [[Kathleen Wynne]].

==Background==
Damerla was born in a [[Telugu language|Telugu]]-speaking family in [[Secunderabad]], [[Andhra Pradesh]] (present day [[Telangana]]), [[India]]. 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=MPP finds her calling |last=Chin |first=Joseph |work=The Mississauga News |date=January 10, 2012 |page=1}}</ref>

==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 (provincial electoral district)|Mississauga East—Cooksville]], beating Nancy Fonseca (the sister of previous Mississauga East—Cooksville MPP [[Peter Fonseca]]).<ref>{{cite news |title=Nomination fiercely contested |last=Dean |first=Jan |work=The Mississauga News |date=July 15, 2011 |page=1}}</ref> She beat her nearest rival, [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]] Zoran Churchin by 4,238 votes in the [[2011 Ontario general election|2011 provincial election]].<ref name="rookie">{{cite news |last=Chin |first=Joe |title=Rookie wins for Grits |date=October 7, 2011 |newspaper=The Mississauga News |page=1}}</ref><ref name="2011 results">{{cite web|url=http://elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/7849B894-4C4F-490E-9E8C-271BCF0C0D4D/5712/SummaryofvalidvotescastforeacndGE2011.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330163815/http://elections.on.ca/NR/rdonlyres/7849B894-4C4F-490E-9E8C-271BCF0C0D4D/5712/SummaryofvalidvotescastforeacndGE2011.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 30, 2013 |title=Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=October 6, 2011 |access-date=2014-03-02 |page=10 }}</ref>

In November 2011, she was appointed as [[Parliamentary Assistant]] to the Minister of Infrastructure.<ref>{{cite news |title=MPPs take on new roles |first=Louie |last=Rosella |work=The Mississauga News |date=November 11, 2011 |page=1}}</ref> In April 2012, Damerla introduced a resolution to reform the 1998 Condominium Act. Her resolution would help facilitate disputes between condominium 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.<ref>{{cite news |title=MPP Damerla's condo dispute motion passes first reading |last=Clay |first=Chris |work=The Mississauga News |date=June 18, 2012 |page=1}}</ref>

She was re-elected in the [[2014 Ontario general election|2014 provincial election]].<ref name="2014 results">{{cite web|title=General Election by District: Mississauga East-Cooksville |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 12, 2014 |url=http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/general-election-district-results.aspx?d=048 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140923153941/http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/general-election-district-results.aspx?d=048 |archive-date=September 23, 2014 |df=mdy }}</ref>

===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.<ref name="2014WynneCab">{{cite news |title=Kathleen Wynne warns financial cupboard is bare |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2014/06/24/ontario_premier_kathleen_wynnes_new_cabinet_unveiled.html |author1=Richard Brennan |author2=Robert Benzie |author3=Rob Ferguson |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=June 24, 2014}}</ref> She then succeeded [[Mario Sergio (politician)|Mario Sergio]] as Minister responsible for Seniors Affairs, another [[minister without portfolio]] position, in a June 13, 2016 cabinet shuffle.

Damerla was appointed [[Ministry of Seniors Affairs|Minister of Seniors Affairs]], leading a new standalone ministry created from the former Ontario Seniors' Secretariat, on January 12, 2017.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mississauga MPP Damerla appointed to lead new seniors ministry|url=https://www.mississauga.com/news-story/7065217-mississauga-mpp-damerla-appointed-to-lead-new-seniors-ministry/|access-date=September 4, 2017|work=The Mississauga News|publisher=Metroland Media Group|date=January 13, 2017|language=en-CA}}</ref>

In the [[2018 Ontario general election|2018 provincial election]], Damerla was defeated in Mississauga East—Cooksville by [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]] candidate [[Kaleed Rasheed]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rayner |first1=Ben |title=Two cabinet ministers felled in Mississauga East—Cooksville and Mississauga-Lakeshore |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2018/06/07/two-cabinet-ministers-felled-in-mississauga-east-cooksville-and-mississauga-lakeshore.html |access-date=August 4, 2018 |work=Toronto Star |date=June 7, 2018 |language=en}}</ref>

==Municipal politics==
Damerla registered on July 19, 2018 to run as a candidate to replace retiring Ward 7 [[Mississauga City Council]]lor Nando Iannica in the [[2018 Peel Region municipal elections#Mississauga|2018 Mississauga municipal election]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Raza |first1=Ali |title=Former Wynne cabinet minister Dipika Damerla runs for Ward 7 |url=https://www.mississauga.com/news-story/8751206-former-wynne-cabinet-minister-dipika-damerla-runs-for-ward-7/ |access-date=August 4, 2018 |work=The Mississauga News |date=July 19, 2018 |language=en-CA}}</ref> Damerla was elected with a large margin, the first new councillor for Ward 7 in over 30 years.<ref name="elected councillor">{{cite news |last1=Clay |first1=Chris |title='Feels good to be elected again': Dipika Damerla wins Mississauga's Ward 7 council seat |url=https://www.mississauga.com/news-story/8981656--feels-good-to-be-elected-again-dipika-damerla-wins-mississauga-s-ward-7-council-seat/ |access-date=October 23, 2018 |work=The Mississauga News |publisher=Metroland Media Group |date=October 22, 2018 |language=en-CA}}</ref> On December 12, 2018, she was one of 10 members of city council that voted to ban physical [[cannabis]] retail shops in Mississauga.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Raza |first1=Ali |title=Mississauga council says no to cannabis shops |url=https://www.mississauga.com/news-story/9079586-mississauga-council-says-no-to-cannabis-shops/ |access-date=December 12, 2018 |work=The Mississauga News |publisher=Metroland Media Group |date=December 12, 2018 |language=en-CA}}</ref>

==Electoral record==
===Municipal===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"
|-
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"|'''[[2018 Peel Region municipal elections#Ward 7|Mississauga municipal election, 2018: Ward 7]]'''<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rusnov |first1=Diana |title=2018 Election, Official Results |url=https://mississaugavotes.ca/Download/Elections2018/2018_Election_Official_Results_City_of_Mississauga.pdf |website=Mississauga Votes |publisher=Office of the City Clerk, City of Mississauga |access-date=November 1, 2018 |date=October 26, 2018}}</ref>
|-
! style="background:#ddf; width:150px;"|Candidate
! style="background:#ddf;"|Votes
! style="background:#ddf;"|%
|-
|'''Dipika Damerla''' ||align=right|4,566 ||align=right| 41.25
|-
|Andrew Gassmann ||align=right|1,762 ||align=right| 15.92
|-
|Leslie Zurek-Silvestri ||align=right|1,399 ||align=right| 12.64
|-
|9 other candidates ||align=right|3,341 ||align=right| 30.19
|-
|'''Total''' ||align=right|'''11,068''' ||align=right|'''100.00'''
|}

===Provincial===
{{Ontario provincial election, 2018/Mississauga East—Cooksville}}
{{Ontario provincial election, 2014/Mississauga East—Cooksville}}
{{Ontario provincial election, 2011/Mississauga East—Cooksville}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commonscat}}
*{{official|http://www.dipikadamerla.ca}}
*{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180422043334/http://dipikadamerla.onmpp.ca:80/ |date=April 22, 2018 |title=Official MPP website}}
*{{OntarioMPPbio|ID=7184}}

{{Wynne Ministry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Damerla, Dipika}}
[[Category:Women government ministers of Canada]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian Hindus]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Politicians from Secunderabad]]
[[Category:Ontario Liberal Party MPPs]]
[[Category:Mississauga city councillors]]
[[Category:Women MPPs in Ontario]]
[[Category:Members of the Executive Council of Ontario]]
[[Category:University of Toronto alumni]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian politicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian women politicians]]
[[Category:Canadian politicians of Indian descent]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Women municipal councillors in Canada]]

Dipika Damerla - Revision history

->Ebbedlila at 00:56, 22 September 2021