Cheri DiNovo was elected to Queen’s Park September 14th, 2006, to represent the provincial riding of Parkdale – High Park. Shortly after her election, she took on a diverse critic portfolio, consisting of Employment Standards, and Small Business.  Cheri was  re-elected as MPP on October 10th, 2007.

Quoted by journalists as “The new female power at Queen’s Park” and “a dynamo”, in just a few months Cheri had made her mark on the political landscape, championing issues of critical importance to many in her riding and across the province. Cheri was named best MPP by Toronto’s NOW Magazine.

Cheri has been most recognized in her leadership to end poverty in Ontario with the Living Wage Bill and Payday Lending Bill. Both pieces of legislation have received strong support from anti-poverty groups, the media, and people across Ontario. The Living Wage Bill would increase Ontario’s minimum wage to $10.25 immediately. Cheri’s Payday Lenders Bill would require licensing and a cap to interest rates charged within the Industry. This would put an end to the 300-1,000%+ criminal interest rates that are currently being charged by the majority of Payday Lenders in the province.

An outspoken critic of The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), Cheri has called for more affordable housing and action to deal with skyrocketing reassessments.

Cheri has spoken out about the under-funding of our public schools and childcare programs. She introduced legislation to end the provincial government’s claw-back of the National Child Benefit Supplement.

As a former small business owner, Cheri is actively involved with TABIA – the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas – working to eliminate burdensome taxes on small businesses.

In her former role as critic of the Culture portfolio, Cheri worked with ACTRA, Canadian Actor’s Equity and other organizations to demand for Status of the Artist Legislation that protects Artists’ rights as workers. More specifically Cheri introduced the Child Performers Bill to protect the rights of child performers.

Cheri has supported local and provincial environmental groups in demanding that Ontario invest in public transit and renewable energy, rather than maintaining coal plants or building new nuclear projects.

Prior to her election to Queen’s Park, Cheri was the Minister of Emmanuel-Howard Park United Church on Roncesvalles Avenue and performed the first legalized same-sex marriage in North America. She is a former board member of the Centre for Active Resources food program at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, as well as King Street’s Shalom House community kitchen. Cheri is a former member of the Parkdale Banking Project and is a winner of the Washington D.C. “Lambda” civil rights Award.

In addition to being described by the Toronto Star as a “sparkplug” at Queen’s Park and a leader who “personifies an emerging consensus”, Cheri was named “Favourite Politician” by the Parkdale Liberty for her ongoing pledge to donate her monthly MPP raise to local organizations and charities.

Cheri holds Masters and Doctoral degrees from the University of Toronto. She lives with her husband Gil Gaspar in South Parkdale, and is the proud mother of Francesca and Damien Zielinski.

Cheri donates her payraise to various charities every year.  Some of the charities she has donated to include:

Annette Baseball

Ruth’s Daughters of Canada

Girls Government

Ground Level Café

Humbercrest United Church

Lori’s Room

Ontario Clean Train Coalition

Ontario Parliamentary Friends of Tibet

Parkdale Community Health Centre

Parkdale Food Bank

Parkdale Public School

Parkdale Youth Festival

St. Francis Table

St. Joseph’s Hospital

Swansea Town Hall

TDSB Girl’s Government

Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre

Ukrainian Social Services

Victim’s Services

West End Angels

West End YWCA

West Toronto Support Services

Edmund Yu Centre

Redwood Shelter

WestEnd Food Co-op

And many others…