Wednesday, September 21, 2016

MPP: Lorenzo Berarddinetti - Scarborough Southwest

Father God, I come to you on behalf of Lorenzo Berardinetti from the riding of Scarborough Southwest. I ask for a keen awareness of the Hand of God upon his life today as he serves in the committees to which he has been assigned. I pray that in particular, he would know the righteous stands to take in helping to fulfill social justice in our Province, and that you would give him favor with all of his peers. I also ask that today he would know your touch in his personal life at the most stressing times, and realize that you are near. In the name of the Saviour! Amen.

For over 23 years, Lorenzo Berardinetti has served his community as an elected representative, standing up for the issues that matter most to working  in Scarborough Southwest. Born in Toronto, Lorenzo moved to Scarborough at the age of four. He attended Ionview Public School and Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute.

Lorenzo went on to attend the University of Toronto and the University of Windsor Law School and in 1988 was called to the Ontario Bar. Lorenzo’s call to public service came in his youth, demonstrated through his volunteerism and active participation in various community organizations throughout his student years.

After graduating from Law School, Lorenzo successfully ran for elected office in 1988 as City Councillor for the former Scarborough City Council and was re-elected in 1991 and 1994. In 1997, when the Mike Harris Conservative government forced the City of Scarborough to amalgamate into the City of Toronto, Lorenzo was elected to the new City of Toronto Council and was re-elected in 2000. Lorenzo made his mark at Toronto City Hall as Chair of the Administration Committee. He was responsible for stewarding the amalgamation of all seven municipalities into one. Lorenzo worked with a team of committed Councillors, dedicated to making the megacity work efficiently and effectively.

Having experienced first-hand the cuts and downloading of the Harris government, Lorenzo sought and won the nomination as the Ontario Liberal Candidate for the Riding of Scarborough Southwest. He ran in the 2003 Provincial Election and defeated the incumbent Conservative MPP in October 2003. Lorenzo was re-elected to the Ontario Legislature in 2007 and 2011. Lorenzo has held various positions in the Ontario Government, including serving as Deputy Government Whip from 2003 until 2007. He also served as a Member of the Standing Committee on Government Agencies and the Cabinet Committee on Legislation and Regulation. In 2004, he introduced a Private Member’s Bill to outlaw “gender-based pricing,” which prohibited retailers from charging women more for goods and services compared to men. In December 2006, Lorenzo became Chair of the Standing Committee on Justice Policy. On January 2010, Lorenzo was appointed as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour. As the Parliamentary Assistant, Lorenzo worked with the Minister of Labour to improve employment workplace standards, facilitate labour relations, and achieve safe, fair and equitable workplaces. On November 2011, Lorenzo was appointed as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Attorney General. On February 2013, Lorenzo was appointed Chair of the Standing Committee on Government Agencies and Member of the Standing Committee on Social Policy. Currently he continues to serve on the Standing Committee on Government Agencies in addition to being a Member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. 

On June 2014, Lorenzo was re-appointed as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Attorney General and he's currently a member of the Standing Committee on Justice Policy and Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills.

Lorenzo, 52, resides in Scarborough Southwest with his wife Michelle, who serves as Toronto City Councillor for Ward 35, Scarborough Southwest.

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