Ottawa city councillors voted to rename the Greenboro Community Centre in honour of former councillor Diane Deans on Wednesday.
In an emotional city council meeting, Coun. Jessica Bradley moved to rename the recreation facility at 363 Lorry Greenberg Dr. in Deans’s honour, after she passed away Tuesday following a five-year battle with ovarian cancer.
A new plaque will also be installed displaying Deans’s name and a brief history of her contributions to the city of Ottawa.
“The news of Diane’s passing was a devastating blow for me, for the residents of Groucester-Southgate and to the city,” an emotional Bradley said in council.
Bradley, who serves as the councillor for Gloucester-Southgate and was Deans’s former executive assistant, said Deans was a “fighter” in her battle with cancer and “an amazing councillor, mentor, friend, partner and mother.”
“This tribute to rename the Greenboro Community Centre in her honour means a lot to Diane, her family and the community that she proudly served. I am grateful to all my colleagues for their support,” Bradley said.
Coun. Theresa Kavanagh said she was an inspiration to women in politics and remembered her as a mentor and as a friend.
“When I first decided to run in 2018, I was looking for advice and inspiration and Diane was there for me,” she said.
“She was so well spoken. She looked at things very carefully and knew the importance of them.”
Ottawa city councillor Diane Deans at city hall on Aug. 26, 2019.Kavanagh remembered her most of all as a “tenacious” and a fighter.
“Diane was never on council to take up a seat, but to make a difference. She fought hard every day,” Kavanagh said.
“She broke down barriers, stood her ground, used her voice and paved the path for many women, including myself, to have the strength the do that same.”
Bradley’s motion was unanimously carried by councillors.
A name change must normally go through a commemorative street naming process, which includes staff vetting requests and a 30-day public consultation period, but councillors voted to exempt the motion from that process.
Deans was first elected to the former Southgate ward in 1994 and represented the post-amalgamation Gloucester-Southgate ward until 2022. She was one of the city’s longest serving councillors.
Her 28-year career in municipal politics included chairing several important boards and committees, including becoming the first woman to chair the Ottawa Police Services Board.
Deans was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2019 and took an extended leave from her duties for treatment before returning to her council chair one year later.
In 2022, Deans was ousted from her role as police board chair by councillors after saying wasn’t happy with the “slowness” in response by the Ottawa Police Service to the Freedom Convoy protest, adding that the municipal police service was “not prepared” for a national occupation.
Deans had announced a plan to run for mayor, but later said she would not seek the job.
A celebration of life will take place on May 25, beginning at 2 p.m. at the Infinity Convention Centre, followed by a reception.
The celebration is open to anyone who wishes to attend and celebrate her life.