Deans poised to rejoin city council
Gloucester-Southgate rep ‘just pumped’ over return after year-long cancer fight
Coun. Diane Deans says she is healthy and ready to get back to work after a devastating ovarian cancer diagnosis last year sidelined her from politics.
Since Deans stepped away from her council seat, and her job helming the police services board, the city has experienced great upheaval, from the disastrous start of LRT to the COVID-19 pandemic to calls for major police reforms. But with a new vantage point — seeing how the city has appeared to citizens over the past year — Deans said she is looking forward to returning to her roles.
“It’s a major milestone for me and I’m just pumped. I’m ready to come back to work and roll up my sleeves and hopefully make a difference,” Deans said Thursday after announcing a Sept. 8 return to work. Deans was diagnosed in 2019 and took a medical leave of absence that began in September of that year.
“When I was diagnosed, it was a shock and it’s not news that you ever want to hear and it’s hard to wrap your mind around. Then once you sort of get past that, what I found out is that I live in such an amazing community and I always knew that, but perhaps I underappreciated just how amazing this community is and they really lifted me up every step of the way.”
A constant stream of well wishes and warm, inspirational messages showed Deans the “strength of community” behind her.
“Nobody wants to get cancer but I have to say it hasn’t been all bad. It’s been a learning experience and personal growing experience.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and I have to say that I’m probably coming back stronger.”
But Deans knows, too, that many things have changed in the year since she’s been at council. A pandemic, for one. Nearing the first anniversary of the launch of the LRT, the system is still plagued with problems. Camps of councillors have emerged and so have rather public spats between elected officials. When Deans’s medical leave first began, Coun. Rick Chiarelli had just been accused of sexual harassment.
“I know that council always had challenging issues and council will always face intense pressures, but what I’m hoping that I can do upon my return is maybe bridge some of the divides that I see on that council and be a catalyst for change,” Deans said.
“I really believe that this council needs to come together because a divided council is not going to have the best outcomes in our citizens’ interests.”
Council doesn’t need to be like-minded but vigorous debate and compromise are both healthy, Deans said.
“Bob Chiarelli used to say that that ‘If we get in the same boat and we row in the same direction, we can get it all done.’ And I think council needs to get in the same boat.”
Deans said one of her last real jobs before she went on medical leave was to hire a new chief of police. When she introduced Peter Sloly as the city’s new top cop on Aug. 26, she knew she had cancer and would be away indefinitely, though she hadn’t made the public announcement yet. She had been sick throughout the interviews, but had committed herself to the responsibility on her shoulders.
She was looking for a chief who was committed to advancing change, striving toward equality, improving race relations and gender equality.
“I believe we got that chief. I believe we hired the right person.”
In the time since, though, the service and city have seen the first real criticisms of Sloly’s leadership and decision-making amid extensive calls from the community to reform or defund policing as an institution and multiple internal misconduct probes that have chipped away at public trust, including the suspension of a deputy chief for allegations of sexual harassment.
“There is a lot of work to be done,” Deans said. “I fully acknowledge that there are many issues. I recognize the need to modernize our police service. The public want to see real and meaningful change. And I’m invested in making that happen.”
She warns, too, that, “There are no quick fixes because the roots are in social inequality and they’re embedded in our systems — our hiring systems, our training systems, the language we use.”
That change will be a journey, she said.
“I hope that I can be a true leader than can help to lead that journey.” syogaretnam@postmedia.com twitter.com/shaaminiwhy