Heather Deal
{{Short description|Canadian biologist and politician}}
{{BLP sources|date=July 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = February 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Heather Deal
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| honorific-suffix =
| image =
| image_size =
| smallimage =
| alt =
| caption =
| order =
| office = Vancouver City Councillor
| term_start = 2005
| term_end = 2018
| office2 = Vancouver Park Board Commissioner
| term_start2 = 2002
| term_end2 = 2005
| education = Oberlin College
University of British Columbia
| citizenship = Canadian
| party = Vision Vancouver
| otherparty = COPE (2002–2005)
| residence = Vancouver, British Columbia
| profession = Biologist
}}
Heather Deal is a Canadian biologist and politician. She served as a Vancouver city councillor until 2018, first elected as a member of Vision Vancouver in 2005. She previously served as a Vancouver Park Board commissioner for the 2002 to 2005 term as a member of Coalition of Progressive Electors.
Background
Deal was born in England and raised in Michigan and spent six years in Ohio doing her undergraduate degree in Biology at Oberlin College and working at Case Western University in Cleveland as a medical research technician. In 1984, she moved to Vancouver and became a Canadian citizen in 1991.
Deal got her M.Sc. in microbiology/immunology from UBC and worked in various medical research positions at UBC, VGH and the BC Cancer Agency. She then moved to jobs in education, training and research for UBC Continuing Studies, the BC Government’s Watershed Restoration Program and the David Suzuki Foundation.
In 1989, Deal joined the Vancouver Bach Choir, Vancouver’s premier symphonic choir, and became president of the board two years later. She recruited housing activist Jim Green to the board of directors and in 2001 the choir performed a free concert of Handel’s Messiah in Blood Alley. She continues to sing in the choir today.
[https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/BASTA-Open-House-Boards-2016-08-17.pdf). Citation]{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Political career
= Vancouver Park Board =
In 2002, Deal ran for office for the first time and came in first for the Vancouver Park Board.{{Cite web |date=November 16, 2002 |title=Election Summary Report. |url=http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/election2002/2002results.htm#parks |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/13140/20191218013010/http://former.vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/election2002/2002results.htm#parks |archive-date=December 18, 2019 |website=City of Vancouver}} She served as chair in her first year on the board.
= Vancouver City Council =
By 2005 Deal had left COPE and joined the new electoral association, Vision Vancouver. She ran for City Council with the inaugural Vision Vancouver slate in 2005 and was re-elected to Council in 2008, 2011, and 2014.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Charlie |date=2015-12-15 |title=Vancouver will soon have a new deputy mayor |url=https://www.straight.com/news/597481/vancouver-will-soon-have-new-deputy-mayor# |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=The Georgia Straight |language=en}}
In her time on Vancouver City Council, Deal was a strong champion for the arts. This included introducing Vancouver’s first Creative City and Music strategies.{{cite web |title=Vancouver seeks more performance spaces to support local music scene |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/creative-city-music-strategy-1.4591402 |website=CBC News}}
Deal made it her mission to liven Vancouver’s streets by supporting installations of public art and cultural attractions and festivals like the city’s 125th-anniversary Summer Live concerts. In 2008, Deal introduced an innovative food-cart program that has been credited with creating a food revolution.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bcbusiness.ca/heather-deal-vancouver-city-councillor|title = BCBusiness}}
After political life
Since leaving City Hall in 2018, Deal has continued to be actively involved in civic life. In 2019, Deal was appointed to the new Granville Island Council with authority and responsibility for governance of Granville Island, and was elected chair by the Council. She was re-elected chair in 2020.{{cite web | url=https://granvilleisland.com/granville-island-council | title=Granville Island Council | date=11 August 2010 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2020/10/08/2105860/0/en/Granville-Island-welcomes-Tom-Lancaster-as-new-General-Manager.html | title=Granville Island welcomes Tom Lancaster as new General Manager | date=8 October 2020 }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://vancouver.ca/your-government/heather-deal.aspx Profile on City of Vancouver website]
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deal, Heather}}
Category:Vision Vancouver councillors
Category:Scientists from Vancouver
Category:Women municipal councillors in British Columbia
Category:English emigrants to Canada
Category:Oberlin College alumni
Category:University of British Columbia Faculty of Science alumni
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)