Paula Fletcher
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Paula Fletcher (1951-) is a Canadian politician. In 2003, she was elected to the Toronto City Council for Ward 30 Toronto-Danforth with the support of the New Democratic Party.
Fletcher was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. She worked as an educator in third world development, and became a community activist in Winnipeg. In 1980, she ran for the Winnipeg School Board for Ward 2, in the city's north end.
In 1981, Fletcher replaced William Cecil Ross as leader of the Communist Party of Canada - Manitoba. The party was a marginal political force at the time, and Fletcher and Ross were the only CPC-M candidates to contest the 1981 provincial election. Fletcher resigned as CPC-M leader after the 1986 election, and moved to Ontario. A moderate within the party, she eventually left the CPC entirely after the collapse of the USSR. She helped to liquidate membership, assets, property and money, and is now affiliated with the NDP.
In 2000, Fletcher was elected to the Toronto District School Board with support from Jack Layton (who was subsequently elected as federal NDP leader). Fletcher generally supported leftist causes while on the board, though she voted against union staffing rules at Danforth Tech.
When Layton crossed from municipal to federal politics in 2003, Fletcher was elected to take his place for Ward 30 on the Toronto City Council. She defeated lesbian-rights activist (and former NDP member) Chris Phibbs by 6,460 votes to 4,271 (there were seven other candidates in the race).
Fletcher succeeded in having a Toronto street named after social activist June Callwood and has been a vocal opponent of the Portlands Energy Centre, a Provincial Government plan to build a 550 megawatt power plant in the Portlands.
Other significant developments in Ward 30 supported by Fletcher include FILMPORT, Canada's Largest purpose-built sound stage and film production space, as well as Zhong Hua Men Archway, the only traditional Chinese archway to be built in Toronto.
