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Denzil Minnan-Wong
Denzil Minnan-Wong speaks to reporters - 2012 (cropped).jpg
Minnan-Wong in 2012
Deputy Mayor of Toronto
for North York
In office
December 1, 2014 – November 15, 2022
Preceded by Norm Kelly
Succeeded by Jennifer McKelvie (statutory)
Michael Colle (North York; 2023)
Toronto City Councillor
for Ward 16 Don Valley East
In office
December 1, 2018 – November 15, 2022
Preceded by Ward created
Succeeded by Jon Burnside
Toronto City Councillor
for Ward 34 Don Valley East
In office
December 1, 2000 – December 1, 2018
Preceded by Ward created
Succeeded by Ward dissolved
Toronto City Councillor
for Ward 11 Don Parkway
In office
January 1, 1998 – December 1, 2000
Preceded by Ward created
Succeeded by Ward dissolved
North York City Councillor
for Ward 12
In office
January 1, 1995 – December 1, 1997
Preceded by Incumbent
Succeeded by Ward dissolved
Personal details
Born 1963/1964 (age 61–62)
Nationality Canadian
Spouse Colleen
Children 3
Residences Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation Lawyer
Denzil Minnan-Wong
Chinese 黃旻南
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin Huáng Mínnán

Denzil Minnan-Wong (born around 1963) is a Canadian politician who used to work for the city of Toronto. He was the Deputy Mayor of Toronto from 2014 to 2022, representing the North York area. He also served on the Toronto City Council for many years, from 1995 to 2022. During his time, he represented different parts of the Don Mills area.

Early Life and Education

Denzil Minnan-Wong was born in 1963. His father, Denzil Minnan-Wong Sr., was a Chinese Canadian. He was an important member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. His mother, Josephine Cazabon, was born in Timmins, Ontario.

Denzil Minnan-Wong studied at Osgoode Hall Law School. He became a lawyer, focusing on helping people with immigration issues. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Colleen, and their three children.

Political Career Highlights

Denzil Minnan-Wong's political journey began in 1994. He was first appointed as a councillor for Ward 12 in North York. This happened after the previous councillor passed away. He was then elected to this position in November 1994.

In 1997, he was elected to the city council of the newly combined city of Toronto. He represented Ward 11 – Don Parkway. After 28 years in politics, Minnan-Wong announced in July 2022 that he would not run for re-election.

Garbage Collection Services

In 2011, Minnan-Wong supported a plan to have private companies collect garbage in Toronto. This was for areas west of Yonge Street. The idea was to save the city about $12 million each year.

However, city reports from 2021 showed that this private service was actually costing more. It cost about $143.48 per household each year. The city's own garbage collection cost $139.24 per household. Despite this, Minnan-Wong continued to support private garbage collection. He was against the city taking over these services again.

Bike Lanes and Road Safety

Minnan-Wong learned to ride a bicycle when he was 46 years old in 2013. Even so, he supported building Toronto's first separated bike lanes. These new lanes were created on streets like Sherbourne, Wellesley, and Richmond.

At the same time, he voted to remove some painted bike lanes. These were on Jarvis Street, Pharmacy Avenue, and Birchmount Road. In 2013, he also helped move the Bixi public bike share system. It then became part of the Toronto Parking Authority. Minnan-Wong also helped make sure a $150 fine for parking in rush hour zones stayed in place.

Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)

In December 2010, the City Council appointed Minnan-Wong to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) board. This was during Mayor Rob Ford's time in office. In 2012, he was one of five councillors on the TTC board who voted to end the job of the TTC General Manager, Gary Webster. Andy Byford was hired to replace him.

On March 5, 2012, these five councillors, including Minnan-Wong, were removed from the TTC board. This happened because of a motion by Councillor Karen Stintz. Minnan-Wong was appointed to the TTC board again on December 2, 2014. This was after Mayor John Tory was elected. His time on the board ended on November 15, 2022.

Provincial Election Campaign

On January 20, 2018, Denzil Minnan-Wong became the candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. He ran for the Don Valley East area in the 2018 provincial election. He came in a close second place to the Liberal candidate, Michael Coteau.

During his campaign, Minnan-Wong said he would take an "unpaid" leave from Toronto City Council. He promised to give the salary he earned during the 30-day campaign to the city or a charity. He later donated this salary to the City of Toronto. He asked for the money to be used for roads.

Re-election and Retirement

After the 2018 provincial election, Minnan-Wong ran for Toronto City Council again. He won re-election in the new Ward 16 Don Valley East during the 2018 municipal election. He was the only one of seven councillors on the TTC board to be re-elected.

From 2018 to 2022, he was re-appointed as Deputy Mayor. He was also appointed to the TTC board for a third time. In July 2022, Minnan-Wong sent an email to his constituents. He announced that he would not seek re-election in the 2022 Ontario municipal elections. He stated it was time for him to move on to "the next stage of my life."

Election Results

Provincial Election

Ontario general election, 2018: Don Valley East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Michael Coteau 13,012 35.93 −22.80
Progressive Conservative Denzil Minnan-Wong 11,984 33.09 +8.75
New Democratic Khalid Ahmed 9,937 27.44 +15.48
Green Mark Wong 917 2.53 −0.83
Libertarian Justin Robinson 236 0.65
Freedom Wayne Simmons 131 0.36
Total valid votes 36,217 99.08
Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 337 0.92
Turnout 36,554 55.22
Eligible voters 66,192
Liberal hold Swing −15.78
Source: Elections Ontario

Municipal Elections

2018 Toronto election, Ward 16
Candidate Votes  %
Denzil Minnan-Wong 11,128 46.33%
David Caplan 7,227 30.3%
Stephen Ksiazek 1,698 7.07%
Dimitre Popov 1,104 4.06%
Pushpalatha Mathanalingam 888 3.7%
Michael Woulfe 771 3.21%
Aria Alavi 582 2.42%
Diane Gadoutsis 569 2.37%
Total 23,967 100%
2014 Toronto election, Ward 34
Candidate Votes  %
Denzil Minnan-Wong 9,761 53.46%
Mary Hynes 5,953 32.13%
Douglas Owen 1,171 6.32%
Faisal Boodhwani 705 3.80%
Amer Karaman 486 2.62%
Alan Selby 453 2.44%
Total 18,529 100%
2010 Toronto election, Ward 34
Candidate Votes  %
Denzil Minnan-Wong 8,743 53.42%
Peter Youngren 6,484 39.63%
Stephan Stewart 1,140 6.96%
Total 16,367 100%
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