Last week following the Borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc Extension’s monthly meeting, Nouvelles Parc Extension News had a chance to touch base with former Parc Extension city councillor Mary Deros who was honored that evening for her 27 years of contributions to the community.
Deros was born and raised in Athens to parents of Greek and Armenian heritage. According to an online biography, her father fled to Turkey during the Armenian genocide to live on the Greek island of Samos.
Entered politics in 1998
Deros, who is fluent in Greek, Armenian, French and English, came to Montreal in 1958, settled in Parc Extension in 1970, and first entered municipal politics in 1998 at the invitation of former Montreal mayor Pierre Bourque.
Before then, she had been a highly-active board member with a local soccer association as well as the Parc Extension Youth Organization (PEYO). Deros always expressed immense gratitude to Bourque for providing her with the springboard that propelled her forward into many decades of involvement in Montreal city politics.
“This is a very emotional evening – very emotional – and it’s appreciated,” she said last week in an interview with Nouvelles Parc Extension News.
‘I worked hard’
“The comments of each individual city councillor also meant a lot to me. I worked hard 27 years. I gave everything I could, because it was important for me to make sure that our citizens in Parc Ex received the same attention as other citizens in other areas of the city.
“We had been neglected for so long,” she continued, noting Bourque’s influence in helping to bring about improvements to Parc Extension. “And I will continue to follow through. It’s hard to stay home and not do anything. But right now I have other things to concentrate on. And then I’ll be around again.”
During her time on Montreal city council, Mary Deros served as an executive-committee member under Bourque as well as former mayor Gérald Tremblay.
Served under several parties
Originally elected under the Vision Montreal banner, she later joined Tremblay’s Union Montreal party, then began sitting as an independent in 2012. During the summer of 2013, she became affiliated with Équipe Denis Coderre and remained with the organization when it changed its name to Ensemble Montréal.
Among Deros’s notable accomplishments, in 2007 she led a successful campaign to prevent Montreal’s historic Park Avenue from being renamed after former Quebec premier Robert Bourassa. She also campaigned for an indoor soccer venue in the same period.
Also worth noting is that Mary Deros was one of several candidates in 2007 for the nomination to become the Liberal Party of Canada’s candidate in Papineau when Justin Trudeau first entered federal politics. She finished second after Trudeau won the nomination.
