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