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Former Ottawa city councillor Diane Deans died Tuesday after a five-year battle with ovarian cancer.
The news was announced by Jessica Bradley, the current councillor for Gloucester-Southgate ward, which Deans represented for nearly 30 years.
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“She passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by loved ones,” Bradley’s statement said. “This is a difficult time for everyone and I will be making a statement tomorrow at council.”
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“We have heard from hundreds of people who have shared their stories of the incredible impact my mom had on their lives. My mom was my role model, but also a role model for so many other girls and women, demonstrating that no dream is beyond reach,” daughter Megan McGovern said in a family statement.
A Celebration of Diane’s life will take place on May 25, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Infinity Convention Centre on Gifford Drive, followed by a reception. The family’s statement said the celebration would be open to anyone who wished to attend.
Books of condolence were to be located at Ottawa City Hall and the Greenboro Community Centre on May 21, 22 and 23.
Deans had entered hospice care in early May, supported by husband Ron Richards, McGovern and grandson Evan.
Deans won eight consecutive elections for council until she decided not to run in 2022. At one point she had considered running for mayor, but decided against it a few months before the election “for personal and professional reasons.”
A graduate of the University of Guelph, Deans arrived in Ottawa and worked as a staff member on Parliament Hill before entering municipal politics, winning her first election in 1994. She met her first husband, former NDP MP Ian Deans, on Parliament Hill. They divorced after a 22-year marriage. He died in 2016.
Born in 1958, Deans announced she had cancer in September 2019 at the age of 61. She underwent months of chemotherapy and eventually returned to council in September 2020.
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