Paula Fletcher

Paula Fletcher (born 1951) is a Canadian politician who has served on Toronto City Council since 2003.

She currently represents Ward 14 Toronto—Danforth.

Fletcher is regarded as an advocate for affordable housing, environmentally sustainable policy, social justice and good land use planning.

She describes her views as ascribing to progressive values.

Fletcher was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and moved to Toronto, then to Winnipeg, Manitoba, before again relocating to Toronto.

She now lives in Toronto with her husband John Cartwright and their two children.

Her husband is the president of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council.

A carpenter by trade, Cartwright was formerly the Business Manager of the Construction Trades Council and co-chair of the Metro Jobstart Coalition.

She was a union organizer in a Toronto garment mill in the early 1970s.

After working at the mill, she worked at the Downsview DeHavilland Plant.

When she worked there, she went by the nickname "Rosie the Riveter".

At the DeHavilland plant, she was involved in the women's committee of Canadian Auto Workers Local 112.

In 1980, she ran for the Winnipeg School Board for Ward 2, in the city's north end.

In the early 1980s, she sang with a group called Rank and File.

In 1981, she was elected leader of the Communist Party of Canada (Manitoba) and served as leader for five years.

She ran in the 1981 and 1986 provincial elections in the Winnipeg riding of Burrows.

She garnered 144 and 131 votes respectively, less than 2 per cent of the popular vote.

In 1986, Fletcher left the Communist Party and moved back to Toronto.

In the 1990s, Fletcher worked at Toronto City Hall as executive assistant to city councillor Dan Leckie.

In 2000, Fletcher was elected as a trustee for Ward 15 in the Toronto District School Board (TDSB).

During her time on the board, she was active in fighting service cuts by the Mike Harris and Ernie Eves Progressive Conservative governments, and helped prevent two school closures in her area.

One of them was Bruce Junior Public School, which Fletcher helped save by housing a new centre there for childhood learning and development for families.

When Jack Layton resigned from council to run for the leadership of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Fletcher ran to replace him and received the endorsement of Layton (who was NDP leader by the time of the Toronto council election campaign) and the NDP, and Marilyn Churley, who was the NDP member of Provincial Parliament (MPP).

In the 2003 municipal election, eight candidates competed in Ward 30.

Prominent candidates included Chris Phibbs, who was executive assistant to Toronto City Councillor Kyle Rae for 11 years, and Maureen Gilroy, a centrist candidate who had the backing of Liberal member of Parliament (MP) Dennis Mills.

A key issue in the 2003 election was the proposed fixed link to the Toronto Island Airport that Fletcher opposed.

Fletcher won with 39.5 per cent of the vote.

As a councillor, Fletcher rallied Toronto City Council to oppose the Portlands Energy Centre, a 550 megawatt power plant in the Port Lands district beside the Hearn Generating Station.

In the 2006 municipal election, Fletcher ran in a field of six candidates.

Fletcher won with 60.3 per cent of the vote.

During Fletcher's second term, Fletcher served as the chair of the Parks and Environment Committee, where she spearheaded the City of Toronto's Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan and Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, and the People, Dogs and Parks – Off-Leash Areas and Commercial Dog Walker Permit Policy.

She was also a member of the Mayor David Miller Executive Committee.

She also served on the boards of Toronto Public Health and the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, and she chaired the Aboriginal Committee and the Animal Services sub-committee.

The grassroots campaign was unable to stop construction of the plant, which was completed in 2007.

Significant developments in Ward 30 that Fletcher supported include Filmport (now known as Pinewood Toronto Studios), which is Canada's largest purpose-built sound stage and film production space, and the Zhong Hua Men Archway, the only traditional Chinese archway to be built in Toronto.

He has served on the Boards of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, the United Way Toronto, the Toronto 2008 Olympic Bid, and the Labour Education Centre.

In Winnipeg, Fletcher worked as an educator in third world development, and became a community activist.

In 2009, Fletcher campaigned against an application by SmartCentres to build a 65000 m2 retail facility in the city's 'Studio District'.

The development was proposed for lands occupied by Toronto Film Studios, which would have required a change in the zoning from industrial to retail.

The proposal was denied on the grounds that the development would have destabilized the surrounding employment district.