Joyce Trimmer (November 10, 1927 – May 17, 2008) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician. She was the first woman mayor of Scarborough, Ontario. Born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, Trimmer emigrated to Toronto with her husband Douglas in 1954, where they settled on the

Toronto Islands The Toronto Islands are a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario, south of mainland Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the only group of islands in the western part of Lake Ontario, the Toronto Islands are located just offshore from the ...

. Working as a

secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

and then a business and typing

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

Victoria Park Collegiate Institute Victoria Park Collegiate Institute (commonly known as Victoria Park C.I., Victoria Park, Vic Park, VP, and VPCI); formerly Victoria Park Secondary School, is a collegiate institute in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located south of York Mills R ...

, Trimmer became interested in politics after opposing development in her community on the Tam O'Shanter golf course lands. After successfully leading the movement to block the development, Trimmer stood in the 1974 municipal election for the position of controller, and was elected. In 1988 she stood in the election for the mayor of

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, and won the election with 4800 more votes than the second-place finisher,

Norm Kelly Norman Kelly (born August 11, 1941) is a retired Canadian politician. He represented Ward 40 Scarborough—Agincourt from 2000 to 2018–serving as acting mayor of Toronto for the period November 18, 2013 to July 1, 2014–was a City of Scarb ...

. Joyce Trimmer was the first woman elected mayor of Scarborough. A supporter of the environment, she opposed development and worked to protect the lands in what is now the

Rouge Park Rouge National Urban Park is a national urban park in Ontario, Canada. The park is centred around the Rouge River and its tributaries in the Greater Toronto Area. The southern portion of the park is situated around the mouth of river in ...

. She held the position of mayor of Scarborough until her retirement from politics in 1994. In retirement Trimmer moved to

Alliston, Ontario Alliston is a settlement in Simcoe County in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has been part of the Town of New Tecumseth since the 1991 amalgamation of Alliston and nearby villages of Beeton, Tottenham, and the Township of Tecumseth. The p ...

and wintered in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. After leaving politics, she chaired the ''Mike Harris Task Force on Bringing Common Sense to Metro'', a committee set up by the provincial Progressive Conservative opposition to investigate reform to the

Metro Toronto The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, whic ...

level of government in the run-up to the 1995 provincial election. She came to oppose the actions of the provincial government when it opted to amalgamate the six municipalities in Metro Toronto to a single city, and eliminate the former Metro Toronto government. In July 2010, the City renamed ''McAsphalt Park'' in Scarborough as ''Joyce Trimmer Park''.City of Toronto
City to celebrate naming of Joyce Trimmer Park
July 6, 2010. Last accessed December 18, 2010.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Trimmer, Joyce 1927 births 2008 deaths Mayors of Scarborough, Toronto Metropolitan Toronto councillors Women mayors of places in Ontario 20th-century Canadian women politicians