Lou Rinaldi

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Lou Rinaldi (born 1947 in Patricia, Italy) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is currently a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Northumberland for the Liberal Party.

Rinaldi moved to Canada with his family in 1960. He received an automotive technology diploma from George Brown College, and started a small business in the automotive field in 1972. He moved to Brighton, Ontario in 1980, having purchased Brighton Speedway, a family entertainment venue.

Rinaldi's political career began at the municipal level. He was appointed to council in the former Brighton township in 1992, and was subsequently won election to the same position. He was appointed reeve of the community in 1998, and in late 2000 was elected mayor of the new municipality of Brighton. He was officially sworn in to the latter office on January 10, 2001. As mayor, he presided over the establishment of the Brighton Health Services Centre in the community.

In the provincial election of 2003, Rinaldi defeated incumbent Progressive Conservative Doug Galt by about 2500 votes to become the new Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Northumberland. The Liberals won the election, and Rinaldi was named parliamentary assistant to David Caplan, the Ontario Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal, on October 23, 2003.