March 8th is International Women’s Day. To celebrate, the Downsview Advocate is featuring dedicated champion and leader of the Downsview Community, Maria Augimeri.
Maria began as a politician when she ran for the North York Board of Education in 1982. A woman in her mid-twenties, many did not believe she was cut out to be a political candidate. Persevering and continuing down her path however, Maria won as trustee. She was then elected to the North York City Council in 1985 and Metro Toronto Council in 1988 where she was an advocate for women’s issues such as childcare, and the environment. She has been a trustee, council member and a candidate for the Ontario New Democratic Party. She has also been chair of the Toronto Transit Commission and the chair of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.
Having lived many years herself in social housing in the Falstaff community, Maria was a fierce advocate for public amenities. Some of her more recognizable achievements are beloved and well used in the community today.
Maria speaks fondly of the Jane Sheppard library, which she got built. Not only did it win an architectural award, but it inspired community engagement from the local schools who held a contest for naming the fully electrified garden amphitheatre next door where local children could perform. The students who went on to win the contest were from a nearby social housing complex, and they named it the Reading Sprouts garden. The amphitheatre (though temporarily shut down for COVID-19,) remains accessible, with access to the power grid for lighting.
Maria was well-known for engaging youth, having brought to city council street corner designs made by youth at Pierre Laporte Middle school on Wilson Ave, and having those designs implemented. “Some of our street corners were designed by Grade 7 kids.” Maria smiles as she recollects.
Some of her other accomplishments include the addition of a preschool room at the Downsview Library, bringing computers to thousands of community kids who otherwise couldn’t have accessed them, the Leading to Reading Program which saw local youth from a few schools nearby including James Cardinal McGuigan near Keele and Finch and C.W. Jeffreys in the Jane Finch community help younger students which markedly improved their grades, many parks, parkettes, and the creation of the Wilson Village BIA, but Maria recalls that success has not always come easily.
“Some groups were not comfortable with women in positions of power.” She recounts, solemnly. “When I ran against a well-known alderman in the 1980s, I ran on the platform of daycare. I was booed, and even had doors slammed in my face. One man even asked me why I wasn’t at home taking care of babies and a family.”
Maria did, however, have kids and a family, having been pregnant during one of her campaigns. This did not keep her from her community work. “I missed one City Council meeting, that was it.” She says of her maternity experience. “That was very strange for the time. It was not a normal thing to have children and be elected. It was usually older people who ran.”
Of all her accomplishments, one seemed to stand out the most.
“One of the things I’m most proud of was getting tenants out to vote. I remember a candidates debate I once did in the Jane-Finch mall where all the candidates came out to speak. It was packed. But there was another held in a Community Housing complex nearby and I was the only candidate who showed up.” She paused. “There was no debate. I sat there and cried with the residents, because I had lived in social housing before and knew was it was like to be dismissed.” She then speaks of how together with community leaders such as Barry Rieder of the Jane Finch Ministry, they changed the tenant voter rate from 4% to 54% in the community that election cycle.
Maria is not currently in office, but continues to advocate for the Downsview community and for social issues. The legacy of her tireless leadership and community advocacy live on in the many amenities she has brought to the Downsview community, and the many people she has inspired along the way.
"I first met Maria many years ago when she stood up to a big developer on behalf of our community." Recalled local MPP Tom Rakocevic. "Her years of advocacy and leadership have always been an inspiration to me."