Councillor Maria McRae

Ward 16 River

A Strong Mandate to Serve

Maria McRae, a lawyer, was re-elected with a strong mandate in 2006 to represent River Ward on Ottawa City Council. River Ward includes over 49,000 residents living in Carleton Heights, Carlington, Central Park, Hunt Club, Quinterra/Riverwood, Ridgemont, Riverside Park and Uplands on the Rideau.

In addition to sitting on Ottawa City Council, Maria is Chair of the Transportation Committee.

Maria is also a member of the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee, the Audit, Budget and Finance Committee and the License Committee (a quasi-judicial, administrative tribunal).

Well-known for her commitment to community safety and crime prevention, Maria is proud to represent City Council on the Ottawa Police Services Board.

She also represents Council as a member of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

Maria was honoured when she was invited to serve as a partner in the No Community Left Behind initiative. This unique program provides a comprehensive, integrated approach to crime prevention and neighbourhood involvement and has opened new ways of communicating.

Reputation as a Hard-Worker

During her first term in office from 2003 to 2006, Maria quickly developed a reputation as an energetic, dedicated and tireless worker. She represented Ottawa City Council as a member of the following board of directors and committees:

• Chair of Ottawa Community Housing Corporation – the province of Ontario’s second largest landlord with 50,000 tenants living in more than 15,000 units of housing stock worth more than $2B
• Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee
• Emergency and Protective Services Committee
• License Committee
• Long Range Financial Plan Committee
• Transportation Committee
• Member Services Committee
• Commonwealth Games 2014 Bid Committee
• Ottawa Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee
• Ottawa Public Library Board
• Ottawa Tourism and Convention Authority
• Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
• Rural Summit Steering Committee
• Rural Summit Task Force

Dedicated to Her Community

Maria is a hard-working and dynamic community leader. Prior to being elected in 2003, she served as an active community volunteer in the following organizations:

• President and founder of the Hunt Club/Riverside Community Services Centre
• Chair of the Riverside Park Churches Christmas Day Dinner Committee
• City of Ottawa Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee member - representing River Ward
• St. Patrick's Home of Ottawa Outreach and Support Services Committee member
• Community Representative on General Vanier Public School Council
• Community Representative on Fielding Drive Public School Council
• Mooney's Bay Park Public Advisory Committee member
• Leadership Ottawa Alumni Association member
• Sawmill Creek Subwatershed Public Advisory Committee member
• Emcee and member of the Victoria Day Fireworks and Gala Committee

Passionate Community Builder

In 2002 Maria was honoured to receive the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for exemplary community service. Maria was also the valedictorian of Leadership Ottawa in 2002, where she gained an in depth awareness of the many issues facing communities in Ottawa.

Born and raised in Sudbury, Maria has an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Laurentian University and a Law degree from the University of Western Ontario and is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada. She and her husband Paul, who works in the high-tech sector, live in the Hunt Club community.

Maria is proud to represent the residents of River Ward and is their strong voice at City Hall.