Marianne Alto

Marianne Alto is a Canadian politician, who has served as mayor of Victoria, British Columbia since November 3, 2022.[1]

She was first elected to Victoria City Council in a by-election in November 2010, following the resignation of Sonya Chandler.[2] The by-election took place on the same day as the city's referendum on the Johnson Street Bridge replacement project, which passed with 60 per cent support; Alto was the only candidate in the by-election who unequivocally supported the project.[3] She was reelected to a full term on council in the 2011 British Columbia municipal elections,[4] and served as chair of the council's housing committee.[5] When the city's federal Member of Parliament Denise Savoie retired from politics in 2012, Alto was speculated as a potential New Democratic Party candidate in the resulting by-election, but declined to run.[6]

She was reelected to council again in the 2014 British Columbia municipal elections.[7] As one of the city's representatives to the Capital Regional District board, she was appointed chair of a special task force to work on improving municipal relations with local First Nations groups.[8]

She was reelected to a third council term in the 2018 British Columbia municipal elections,[9] but did not serve as a CRD board representative in her new term.[10] She was elected mayor of the city in the 2022 British Columbia municipal elections, identifying housing issues in the city as one of her key priorities.[11]