Cesar Palacio ( , ) is a Canadian politician. He was the

Toronto city councillor Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022. Structure The cu ...

for Ward 17 Davenport during the years 2003–2018. He was the first Hispanic person to be elected to Toronto's City Council.

Biography

Born in

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

he followed his father to Toronto in 1972. Working several blue-collar jobs he first became involved in politics as a volunteer with local MP

Charles Caccia Charles L. Caccia, (April 28, 1930 – May 3, 2008) was a Canadian politician. Caccia was a Liberal member of the House of Commons of Canada. He represented the Toronto riding of Davenport between 1968 and 2004. Background Caccia was bo ...

. In 1985 he was hired the executive assistant to Councillor

Betty Disero Betty Disero is a Canadian politician, the Lord Mayor of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. She is a former city councillor in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was elected to the Toronto City Council in 1985, and served until her resignation in 2003. She ...

and he remained in the office for several years. For a few months in 2000 he was appointed to fill the seat vacated by

Dennis Fotinos Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is sometim ...

, but the appointment was conditional on him not running in the subsequent election. In the 2003 Toronto election he ran to succeed Disero and won. He also won subsequent re-election in the 2006 Toronto election. He is fluent in Italian, English, Spanish and Portuguese. He is a cousin of the former President of Ecuador,

Alfredo Palacio Luis Alfredo Palacio González (born 22 January 1939) is an Ecuadorian cardiologist and former politician who served as President of Ecuador from 20 April 2005 to 15 January 2007. From 15 January 2003 to 20 April 2005, he served as vice presid ...

. In the 2010 Toronto election, Palacio won re-election over six other candidates: Brian Bragason, Tony Letra, Maria Marques, Kar Rasaiah,

Jonah Schein Jonah Schein (born ) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the Toronto Davenport riding from 2011 to 2014. Prior to winning the 2011 provincial election, he wa ...

, and Ben Stirpe. He was one of five Councillors removed from the TTC board by council in March 2012 as a result of voting to terminate the services of the TTC General Manager

Gary Webster Gary Webster may refer to: * Gary Webster (actor) (born 1964), English actor * Gary Webster (engineer), manager of the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Ontario, Canada * Gary Webster (rugby league) (born 1957), Australian rugby league ...

. Palacio ran again in the 2014 Toronto election defeating a strong challenger

Alejandra Bravo María Alejandra Bravo de la Parra (born 29 April 1961) is a Mexican biochemist who was laureated with the 2010 L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science – Latin America for her work on a bacterial toxin that acts as a powerful insecticide. ...

. On June 11, 2015, Palacio supported the Hybrid option for the

Gardiner Expressway The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, commonly known as the Gardiner Expressway or simply the Gardiner, is a partially at grade and elevated municipal expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running close to the shore of Lake Ontario, it extends ...

Changes to the City of Toronto ward boundaries imposed by the Ontario Provincial Government of

Doug Ford Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, Progressive Cons ...

resulted in the disappearance of former Ward 17 Davenport in the 2018 municipal election. Palacio initially announced he would run for re-election in the new larger Ward 9 Davenport in the 2018 Toronto election but ultimately withdrew his candidacy.

Election results

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Palacio, Cesar Toronto city councillors Ecuadorian emigrants to Canada Living people Year of birth missing (living people)