Joyce Trimmer (November 10, 1927 – May 17, 2008) was a
Canadian
Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...
politician. She was the first woman mayor of Scarborough, Ontario.
Born in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, Trimmer emigrated to Toronto with her
husband
A husband is a man involved in a marital relationship, commonly referred to as a spouse. The specific rights, responsibilities, and societal status attributed to a husband can vary significantly across different cultures and historical perio ...
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 assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...
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. w ...
at
Victoria Park Collegiate Institute, 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, sub ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, 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 22 Scarborough—Agincourt, Ward 40 Scarborough—Agincourt from 2000 to 2018 and served as Deputy Mayor of Toronto, deputy mayor of Toronto from 2013 to ...
. 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 the 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, Ontario, Simcoe County in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. It has been part of the Town of New Tecumseth, Ontario, New Tecumseth since the 1991 amalgamation of All ...
and wintered in
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
.
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 Regional municipality, upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the Old Toronto, old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and vill ...
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.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trimmer, Joyce
1927 births
2008 deaths
Mayors of Scarborough, Ontario
Metropolitan Toronto councillors
Women mayors of places in Ontario
20th-century Canadian women politicians
English emigrants to Canada
20th-century mayors of places in Ontario