Marguerite Ceschi-Smith
Encyclopedia
Marguerite Ceschi-Smith is a politician in the Canadian
province of Ontario
. She is a prominent member of the Brantford City Council
, where she has served since 1994. She is also an executive member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
(FCM). She was re-elected to a sixth term on city council in the 2010 municipal election
.
and Master of Science
degrees from the University of Guelph
and a Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. She operates a heritage property management business with her husband and is a professor at Seneca College
.
, winning the second seat in the city's fifth ward. She was re-elected in 1997
, 2000
, 2003
, 2006
, and 2010
. In every election since 2000, she has placed first in her two-member ward. She considered running for mayor in 2003, but ultimately chose not to do so.
She is best known for her work promoting the municipal reintegration of brownfield space. Ceschi-Smith first became active with this issue in the late 1990s and early 2000s through efforts to restore a derelict unit on Brantford's Mohawk Street. She has since promoted legislative reform at both the provincial
and federal
levels, seeking to remove what she describes as "legislative, policy and bureaucratic obstacles" that prevent brownfield redevelopment. In 2006, she also began championing the municipal reclamation of greyfield land
s. When running for re-election in 2010, Ceschi-Smith said that she wanted to complete the restoration of the Greenwich-Mohawk brownfield and develop a master plan for protecting Brantford's waterfront.
Ceschi-Smith has been active with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for several years. In 2010, she was elected to a tenth term on its board of directors. She has chaired the federation's brownfields committee, and she helped develop a national brownfields strategy through her work on the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) Brownfields Taskforce in 2003. In 2007, she was named as the FCM's "eco-councillor" of the year.
Ceschi-Smith was elected as chair of Brantford's corporate services committee in 2005. She has also chaired the NW Gateway Committee and the Brantford Waterfront Master Plan Taskforce. In 2011, she introduced a motion calling for Brantford to rejoin the Association of Municipalities of Ontario
(AMO) after a one-year absence.
In 2000, Ceschi-Smith opposed plans by Mike Harris
's provincial government to introduce private prisons in Ontario. In 2003, she attended the nineteenth United Nations
-Habitat Congress in Nairobi
, Kenya
.
nomination for Brant
in the buildup to the 2004 federal election
. She lost on the third ballot count to Lloyd St. Amand
.
See the 2006 Brantford election page for information on Skelton and Leeallen.
See the 2003 Brantford election page for information on Lucente and Pennell.
See the 2000 Brantford election page for information on MacKeigan.
See the 1997 Brantford election page for information on Karmiris, Corby, and Rattie.
See the 1994 Brantford election page for information on Smith.
Sources: Brantford Expositor, 15 November 1994, p. 7; "City Council," Brantford Expositor, 8 November 2000, D4; Ross Marowits, "Friel rides happiness," Brantford Expositor, 14 November 2000, A3; Vincent Ball, "Council table shake up: Four new faces elected by Brantford voters wanting change," Brantford Expositor, 11 November 2003, A3; Official results (2006): City of Brantford, and Official results (2010), City of Brantford.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. She is a prominent member of the Brantford City Council
Brantford City Council
The Brantford City Council is the governing body of Brantford, Ontario.The council consists of a mayor and ten councillors, two representing each of five wards...
, where she has served since 1994. She is also an executive member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is a civic advocacy group representing many Canadian municipalities. It is an organization with no formal power but significant ability to influence debate and policy, as it is main national lobby group of mayors, councillors and other elected municipal...
(FCM). She was re-elected to a sixth term on city council in the 2010 municipal election
Brantford municipal election, 2010
The 2010 Brantford municipal election was held on October 25, 2010, to elect a mayor, city councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario.-Results:...
.
Private career
Ceschi-Smith holds Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degrees from the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
and a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. She operates a heritage property management business with her husband and is a professor at Seneca College
Seneca College
Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a Canadian public college in the greater Toronto area. Seneca College is currently Canada's largest college with approximately 108,000 students.-History:...
.
Councillor
Ceschi-Smith was first elected to the Brantford City Council in the 1994 municipal electionBrantford municipal election, 1994
The 1994 Brantford municipal election was held on November 14, 1994, to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario.In the mayoral contest, Chris Friel defeated one-term incumbent Bob Taylor.-Results:...
, winning the second seat in the city's fifth ward. She was re-elected in 1997
Brantford municipal election, 1997
The 1997 Brantford municipal election was held on November 10, 1997, to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario...
, 2000
Brantford municipal election, 2000
The 2000 Brantford municipal election was held on November 13, 2000, to elect a mayor, city councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario, Canada.-Results:...
, 2003
Brantford municipal election, 2003
The 2003 Brantford municipal election was held on November 10, 2003, to elect a mayor, city councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario....
, 2006
Brantford municipal election, 2006
The 2006 Brantford municipal election was held on November 13, 2006, to elect a mayor, councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario.-Results :...
, and 2010
Brantford municipal election, 2010
The 2010 Brantford municipal election was held on October 25, 2010, to elect a mayor, city councillors, and school trustees in the city of Brantford, Ontario.-Results:...
. In every election since 2000, she has placed first in her two-member ward. She considered running for mayor in 2003, but ultimately chose not to do so.
She is best known for her work promoting the municipal reintegration of brownfield space. Ceschi-Smith first became active with this issue in the late 1990s and early 2000s through efforts to restore a derelict unit on Brantford's Mohawk Street. She has since promoted legislative reform at both the provincial
Government of Ontario
The Government of Ontario refers to the provincial government of the province of Ontario, Canada. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
and federal
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
levels, seeking to remove what she describes as "legislative, policy and bureaucratic obstacles" that prevent brownfield redevelopment. In 2006, she also began championing the municipal reclamation of greyfield land
Greyfield land
Greyfield land is a term used in the United States and Canada to describe economically obsolescent, outdated, failing, moribund and/or underused real estate assets or land. The term was coined in the early 2000s as a way to describe the sea of empty asphalt that often accompanied these sites...
s. When running for re-election in 2010, Ceschi-Smith said that she wanted to complete the restoration of the Greenwich-Mohawk brownfield and develop a master plan for protecting Brantford's waterfront.
Ceschi-Smith has been active with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for several years. In 2010, she was elected to a tenth term on its board of directors. She has chaired the federation's brownfields committee, and she helped develop a national brownfields strategy through her work on the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) Brownfields Taskforce in 2003. In 2007, she was named as the FCM's "eco-councillor" of the year.
Ceschi-Smith was elected as chair of Brantford's corporate services committee in 2005. She has also chaired the NW Gateway Committee and the Brantford Waterfront Master Plan Taskforce. In 2011, she introduced a motion calling for Brantford to rejoin the Association of Municipalities of Ontario
Association of Municipalities of Ontario
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario is a non-profit organization representing municipal and regional governments in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was created on June 22, 1972 through a merger of the Ontario Municipal Association and the Ontario Association of Mayors and Reeves...
(AMO) after a one-year absence.
In 2000, Ceschi-Smith opposed plans by Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
's provincial government to introduce private prisons in Ontario. In 2003, she attended the nineteenth United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
-Habitat Congress in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.
Federal politics
Ceschi-Smith sought the Liberal PartyLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
nomination for Brant
Brant (electoral district)
Brant is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1904 to 1949 and since 1968.The federal riding was created in 1903. It consisted of Brant County excluding Brantford....
in the buildup to the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
. She lost on the third ballot count to Lloyd St. Amand
Lloyd St. Amand
Lloyd St. Amand is a Canadian politician and a former Member of Parliament for the riding of Brant. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Canada....
.
Electoral record
See the 2010 Brantford election page for information on the defeated candidates.See the 2006 Brantford election page for information on Skelton and Leeallen.
See the 2003 Brantford election page for information on Lucente and Pennell.
See the 2000 Brantford election page for information on MacKeigan.
See the 1997 Brantford election page for information on Karmiris, Corby, and Rattie.
See the 1994 Brantford election page for information on Smith.
Sources: Brantford Expositor, 15 November 1994, p. 7; "City Council," Brantford Expositor, 8 November 2000, D4; Ross Marowits, "Friel rides happiness," Brantford Expositor, 14 November 2000, A3; Vincent Ball, "Council table shake up: Four new faces elected by Brantford voters wanting change," Brantford Expositor, 11 November 2003, A3; Official results (2006): City of Brantford, and Official results (2010), City of Brantford.