Odoardo Di Santo (born June 25, 1934) is a politician and administrator in
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 ...
, Canada. He served in the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1985, as a member of the
New Democratic Party (NDP).
Background
Di Santo was born in
Rocca Pia
Rocca Pia is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, and educated at the
University of Rome. In Rome, Di Santo was a professional journalist as well as Press Secretary for the Italian Minister of Industry and Commerce. He was a member of the Family Services Association of Metro
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
in 1974-75, and was an advisor to the Board of Community Workers at
George Brown College
George Brown College is a public, fully accredited college of applied arts and technology with three campuses in downtown Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Like many other colleges in Ontario, GBC was chartered in 1966 by the government of Ontario and ...
. Di Santo was also a founding member as well as a federal executive on the Congress of Italian-Canadians in this period. He was also a founding member of the Italian-Canadian Benevolent Corporation. He is married to Toronto city councillor
Maria Augimeri
Maria Augimeri ( , ; born ) is a Canadian politician. From 1985 to 2018, she served as a local politician in Toronto, holding office as a school board trustee, and as a council member in North York, Metropolitan Toronto, and on Toronto City Co ...
.
Politics
He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the
1975 provincial election, defeating
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
candidate Mike Spensieri by 68 votes in
Downsview
Downsview is a neighbourhood in the north end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in the district of North York. The area takes its name from the Downs View farm established around 1842 near the present-day intersection of Keele Street and Wils ...
as part of an NDP breakthrough in Toronto's Italian community.
He was re-elected by a greater margin in the
1977 election,
and defeated future federal
cabinet minister Joseph Volpe by 653 votes in the
1981 election.
He supported
Bob Rae for the party leadership in 1982.
Di Santo was narrowly defeated in the
1985 election, losing to Liberal candidate
Joseph Cordiano by 221 votes.
Later life
After the election, the Liberals and NDP signed a two-year pact which ended forty-two years of
Progressive Conservative rule. After leaving the legislature, Di Santo was appointed director of the Office of the Worker Adviser.
The New Democratic Party won a majority government under
Bob Rae's leadership in the
1990 provincial election, and Di Santo was appointed as chair of Ontario Workers' Compensation Board in 1991. During his tenure as chair, he implemented progressive policies, such as the non-rebuttable presumption that workers exposed to asbestos in the workplace be compensated for their injuries/illnesses - a novelty at the time. In 1994, Rae transferred Di Santo to the Liquor License Board of Ontario.
In 1992, Di Santo was President and founder of Casa Abruzzo, a non-profit for independent seniors.
He campaigned for the
House of Commons of Canada in the
1997 federal election, but finished third against Independent candidate
John Nunziata in
York South—Weston.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Di Santo, Odoardo
1934 births
Italian emigrants to Canada
Living people
Ontario New Democratic Party MPPs
People from North York
Politicians from Toronto
New Democratic Party candidates for the Canadian House of Commons