Victoria followed by Q&A
Jun 07, 2023
Mayor Marianne Alto
Victoria followed by Q&A

Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto is a facilitator by trade with university degrees in law and science.  A businesswoman active in community causes for decades, Marianne was first elected to Victoria City Council in 2010.  She was elected to the Capital Regional District (CRD) government from 2011 - 2018, where she chaired its landmark Special Task Force on First Nations Relations.  Re-elected to the CRD in 2022, she now chairs its Arts Commission, and is a member of the CRD Core Area Liquid Waste Management, First Nations Relations, and Hospitals and Housing Committees, and the Capital Regional Hospital District Board.
 
Mayor Alto is currently co-chair of the Victoria/Esquimalt Police Board, a member of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission, the BC Transit Board, Victoria’s Citizens’ Assembly Council Committee, and the Te'mexw Treaty Advisory Committee.  She has been City Council liaison to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, South Island Prosperity Partnership, Greater Victoria Public Library, Destination Greater Victoria, Royal and McPherson Theatres Society and a host of other community and professional organizations.  Mayor Alto has been Council liaison to most of the city's neighbourhoods, and is matriarch of the City Family (a unique collaboration among the City, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations) having nurtured a long, rich relationship with those Nations.  President of the Canadian Capital Cities Organization for 5 years, she remains its Past President.
 
A zealous advocate for increased housing supply and affordability, Mayor Alto actively facilitates civil discourse toward the realization of an intentionally transformed city.  Mayor Alto convened the city’s first collaboration with Island Health and service providers working in the various fields of harm reduction, addictions and mental health, and initiated the city’s first open data portal, driving the city’s commitment to open government.  She continues to be committed to expanding the city’s efforts at smart city technology, in particular as it enables Victoria’s capacity for climate adaptation, disaster planning and response, optimizing citizen engagement and inclusion, public transportation and the lifecycles of infrastructure assets.
 
Married and a mom of two boys, Marianne is a lifelong activist who vigorously advocates for equity, inclusion and fairness for everyone.  She owns and operates Azimuth Research & Consulting, a firm specializing in problem solving, change management and facilitation.  Mayor Alto owns a home in Victoria’s Burnside Gorge neighbourhood.