Mike Del Grande

Michael Anthony Del Grande (born November 5, 1953) is a Canadian politician and former Toronto city councillor. He represented Ward 39 Scarborough—Agincourt on Toronto City Council from 2003 to 2014 and served as chair of the city's Budget Committee from 2010 to 2013. He subsequently returned to the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), where he has represented Ward 7 Scarborough—Agincourt since 2014. Del Grande did not seek re-election in the 2026 Toronto municipal election.

In 2026, the Ontario College of Teachers found Del Grande guilty of professional misconduct arising from remarks he made during a 2019 TCDSB meeting concerning proposed protections for gender identity and gender expression. In August 2026, he agreed to surrender his teaching certificate and never reapply for membership in the College. He was also publicly reprimanded, fined $5,000 and ordered to pay $80,000 toward the College's costs.

Early life and education Del Grande was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, in the Danforth neighbourhood. He is the eldest child of Italian immigrants. He attended Holy Cross and St. Aloysius Catholic schools, Neil McNeil High School and East York Collegiate Institute.

Del Grande received a Bachelor of Commerce and Finance degree from the University of Toronto in 1976 and became a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1979. He later received a master's degree in theological studies from St. Augustine's Seminary in 2000 and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto in 2002. He became a member of the Ontario College of Teachers that year.

During his 2006 re-election campaign, Del Grande was charged with assault following an incident involving a volunteer working for rival candidate John Wong. Del Grande accused the woman of removing his campaign flyers from an apartment building and prevented her from leaving until police arrived. The charge against Del Grande was withdrawn in February 2007.

Del Grande was re-elected in 2006 and 2010. Following the election of Rob Ford as mayor, Del Grande became chair of Toronto's Budget Committee.

In January 2012, Del Grande opposed funding for breakfast programs for children from low-income families, stating that parents who have children should take responsibility for them. Housing advocate Michael Shapcott characterized the remarks as an example of "blaming the victim".

Del Grande resigned as Budget Committee chair in January 2013. He did not seek re-election to city council in 2014 and instead ran for the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

School trustee 1994–2003 Del Grande was first elected as a separate school trustee in 1994. He was re-elected in 1997 and 2000 and served as chair of the school board from 2000 to 2001.

In 1996, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association filed a complaint under Ontario labour law alleging that Del Grande had bargained in bad faith by using local media to influence public opinion while the school board was negotiating with its teachers. The complaint was subsequently dropped after he agreed to cease and desist.

Del Grande left the board in 2003 to run successfully for Toronto City Council. His son John Del Grande succeeded him as trustee.

2014–2026 Del Grande returned to the Toronto Catholic District School Board in the 2014 Toronto municipal election, succeeding his son John, who did not seek re-election. Del Grande was re-elected in the 2018 and 2022 municipal elections. He served as chair of the board from 2014 to 2015.

Del Grande did not seek another term in the 2026 Toronto municipal election.

Following complaints about Del Grande's conduct, the board commissioned an investigation. A report by lawyer Michelle Bird concluded that he had violated the board's Trustee Code of Conduct, and the board subsequently censured him.

Del Grande sought judicial review of the board's decisions. The Divisional Court dismissed his application in 2023, and the Court of Appeal for Ontario dismissed his appeal in October 2024.

Ontario College of Teachers proceedings The 2019 controversy also resulted in disciplinary proceedings before the Ontario College of Teachers. Del Grande had become a certified member of the College in 2002 but had never worked as a classroom teacher.

In a decision released on April 8, 2026, the Discipline Committee found Del Grande guilty of professional misconduct over his remarks during the November 2019 Code of Conduct debate. The panel found that the manner in which he expressed his opposition was disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional and constituted conduct unbecoming a member.

The proposal was supported by the Campaign Life Coalition. The board defeated the motion by a vote of 8–2.

Election results School board 2014 Toronto electionCatholic District School BoardTrustee – Ward 7 Candidate Votes %Mike Del Grande 8,108 64.085%Leo Ng 1,794 14.180%Emmanuel Yanga 1,409 11.137%Aldo Calla 1,341 10.599%Total 12,652 100%

City Council 2010 Toronto election, Ward 39 Candidate Votes %Mike Del Grande 9,931 68.18%Kevin Xu 3,640 24.99%Caldwell Williams 994 6.82%Total 14,565 100%