David Raymond Miller (born December 26, 1958) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 63rd mayor of Toronto from 2003 to 2010.
Following his career in politics, Miller briefly returned to law before serving as president and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada) from 2013 to 2017, after which he began working as the director of international diplomacy at C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
Background Miller was born in San Francisco, California. His American father, Joe Miller, died of cancer in 1960, and his English mother Joan returned with her son to Thriplow, south of Cambridge. Miller spent his earliest years in England before moving to Canada with his mother in 1967. He attended Lakefield College School on a scholarship.Grove News: 125th Anniversary Commemorative Edition, Lakefield College School .
Miller completed a four-year undergraduate degree at Harvard University, graduating summa cum laude in Economics in 1981. He earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 1984 and became a partner at the prominent Toronto law firm of Aird & Berlis LLP, specializing in employment, immigration law and shareholder rights. He represented Toronto Islands residents in a 1985 arbitration case while an articling student, and later described this experience as his introduction to municipal politics. He married fellow lawyer Jill Arthur in 1994, and the pair have two children.
Miller joined the New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1985."Parkdale-High Park", Toronto Star, October 22, 1993, A8. He first ran for Metropolitan Toronto council in 1991, campaigning on a platform of public transit improvements to establish Toronto as a world-class city.Jane Armstrong, "The winding, tree-lined avenues of Swansea may seem worlds away...", Toronto Star, October 21, 1991. He lost to incumbent councillor Derwyn Shea. Miller was subsequently the NDP's candidate for Parkdale—High Park in the 1993 Canadian federal election, and finished fourth against Liberal incumbent Jesse Flis. He did not renew his membership in the NDP when it expired in 2007, stating that he did not want to be seen as partisan when dealing with the provincial and federal governments. In 2011, he joined NYU Poly as a faculty member.
Councillor
Metro councillor Miller campaigned for the Metro Toronto Council a second time in 1994, and was elected for the High Park ward over former Member of Parliament Andrew Witer and future Cabinet minister Tony Clement. Following the election, he was appointed to the Metro Planning and Transportation Committee, the Metro Anti-racism Committee, and the Board of Governors for Exhibition Place."Metro appointments", Toronto Star, December 10, 1994, A4; Peter Small, "Vote gives a lifeline to racism committee", Toronto Star, August 4, 1995, A7. He spoke against Metro's decision to cut $3 million from its staffing budget in early 1995, arguing that the resulting hardship for laid-off workers during a national recession would be "unconscionable".Gail Swainson, "Just days after they started work 25 welfare staffers sent packing", Toronto Star, April 1, 1995, A3.
The provincial government of Mike Harris amalgamated several surrounding municipalities into the City of Toronto in 1997, with the stated intention of eliminating duplication of services and increasing efficiency. Miller argued that the decision to eliminate six local councils and establish a "megacity" was carried out without public approval.David Miller, "The megacity", The Globe and Mail, December 31, 1986, A12. He proposed an alternate plan to fold the six local councils into the existing Metro council, but this received little support.Ijeoma Ross, "Metro votes for unified city", The Globe and Mail, February 14, 1997, A1.
He campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1996, running as the NDP candidate in York South to succeed outgoing party leader Bob Rae. He was narrowly defeated by Liberal Party candidate Gerard Kennedy.
Toronto councillor
1997–2000 Following the amalgamation of Toronto, Miller was elected to the new Toronto City Council in the 1997 election, winning one of the two seats in Ward 19 High Park. He was appointed to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) after the election, and became a prominent ally of TTC chair Howard Moscoe.Paul Moloney and Jack Lakey, "TTC brass lock horns over who's the boss", Toronto Star, June 9, 1998, B1; Paul Moloney, "Moscoe given another chance", Toronto Star, June 12, 1998, B3. He was also appointed to lead a twelve-member committee that studied the transition to amalgamated municipal services, and successfully advocated that Toronto City Hall rather than Metro Hall to be the permanent seat of the new government.Kim Honey and Richard Mackie, "Councillors opt for modest pay increase", The Globe and Mail, January 9, 1998, A8; "Who does what", Toronto Star, January 12, 1998, B4; Bruce DeMara, "Make city hall council's home, committee says", Toronto Star, January 29, 1998, C7. Miller later served on a three-member committee that recommended changes to the municipal ward boundaries."Petty politics mar debate on ward boundaries", Toronto Star, January 17, 2000, p. 1.
Miller issued a formal apology on behalf of the TTC in June 1999, following complaints about a subway advertisement by the Toronto police union that some believed depicted Hispanics as criminals.Paul Moloney, "Police union ad incites hatred, ethnic groups say", Toronto Star, June 2, 1999, p. 1. The following year, he argued that the union's controversial "Operation True Blue" telemarketing campaign was creating a climate of intimidation for Toronto residents.Bruce DeMara and Rebecca Bragg, "Police union slammed by council", Toronto Star, January 28, 2000, p. 1. Both Miller and his wife claimed that they had received threatening telephone calls during the 2000 municipal election, after the police union listed his home telephone number in a campaign advertisement.Mark Gollom, "City councillor enraged by police union ad", National Post, October 20, 2000, A09; "Disgraceful tactic", Toronto Star, October 20, 2000, p. 1.
Miller became known as an advocate for waterfront parklands during his time on council. He supported several aspects of a 2000 report from Robert Fung of the Toronto Waterfront Task Force, while criticizing the proposal to sell parkland near Exhibition Place for private development.Robert Benzie, "Proposed sale of parkland 'shortsighted'", National Post, June 13, 2000, A20. He also opposed plans to construct a condominium near Toronto's High Park within his ward, instead supporting the construction of affordable housing for low-income residents.Morgan Campbell, "Group wants study of condo plan", Toronto Star, August 29, 2001, B03.; Paul Moloney, "Low-income housing project endorsed", Toronto Star, September 13, 2000, p. 1.
Toronto's existing Keele Valley Landfill would reach capacity by 2002. Miller strongly opposed a plan by Mayor Mel Lastman to ship the city's garbage to the Adams Mine in Northern Ontario, which was ultimately voted down by council. The city instead sent its trash to Carleton Farms Landfill.James Rusk, "Garbage seen as way to unseat Lastman allies", The Globe and Mail, September 20, 2000, A19. Miller instead supported shipping the garbage to Michigan.
2000–2003 Following electoral redistribution, Miller was re-elected in 2000 over fellow councillor Bill Saundercook in Ward 13 Parkdale-High Park. He was re-appointed to the TTC and sought election as its chair, but was passed over in favour of Brian Ashton."Whiners should praise Lastman, not bury him", Toronto Star, December 8, 2000, p. 1. Jennifer Lewington, "Moraine adviser appointed to find way to protect area", The Globe and Mail, June 13, 2001, A18. Other major city committees and agencies he served on include the Administration Committee, the Humber York Community Council, the Ethics Steering Committee, the Immigration and Refugee Issues Working Group, Labour Relations Advisory Group, and the Oak Ridges Moraine steering committee. See David Miller, City of Toronto council biography , davidmiller.org. In 2001, he expressed concern that the Wheel-Trans bus service for the disabled might be contracted out to the private sector.Paul Moloney, "City looks at contracting out", Toronto Star, July 26, 2001, p. 1. He opposed other privatization efforts in the same period. See Moira Welsh, "City's closed door report called illegal", Toronto Star, February 15, 2001, p. 1.
Miller won the unanimous support of his colleagues in July 2001 for a motion requesting that the federal government approve the transfer of gasoline-tax revenues to Toronto's public transit system.Jennifer Lewington, "Region's politicians cheer gas-tax plan in federal report", The Globe and Mail, July 19, 2001, A18. See also David Miller, "Long-term funding still needed by TTC", Toronto Star, May 6, 2002, A21. He later suggested that Toronto's building revenues could be put toward priority spending rather than being stored in reserve accounts, arguing that the city's real estate boom would allow council to defer transit hikes and provide programs for children and the homeless.Paul Moloney, "Council's left wing eyes untapped taxes", Toronto Star, February 21, 2002, B03. He was also a leading voice in exposing Toronto's MFP computer leasing scandal in 2001 and 2002, bringing to light several questionable lobbying practices at city hall.Jack Lakey, "Council to probe lease deal", Toronto Star, January 16, 2002, A01; Royson James, "Reports pull no punches in MFP mess", Toronto Star, December 21, 2001, B01; Laurie Monsebraaten, "Council to try again on MFP deal", Toronto Star, January 3, 2002, B01l; John Barber, "Safest prediction for mayor's race is free-for-all", The Globe and Mail, August 24, 2002, A18; "City inquiry pays off", Toronto Star, October 4, 2002, A22; Don Wanagas, "Nightmare on Front St.", National Post, January 31, 2003, A13.
As chair of the city's working group on immigrant and refugee issues, Miller introduced a mentorship program making it easier for recent immigrants to gain work experience in Toronto.Catherine Porter, "Mentors helping skilled immigrants get first jobs", Toronto Star, May 25, 2004, A22.
Miller was given an A+ grade and named the best councillor by Toronto Life magazine in November 2000 for his work on council.Toronto Life, November 2000. In April 2002, the Toronto Environmental Alliance awarded him an "A" grade for his work on the TTC.Paul Moloney, "Councillors chided for their TTC work", Toronto Star, April 8, 2002, B03.
Mayor Lastman and Miller had an adversarial relationship on council. This was exemplified during a May 2002 debate when Lastman yelled at Miller, "You will never be mayor of this city because you say stupid and dumb things!" Miller later remarked that the exchange was what encouraged him to run for mayor. Despite being council opponents, Lastman attended the funeral for Miller's mother.John Barber, "Mel's funny, but Miller has last laugh", The Globe and Mail, May 23, 2002, A19; James Rusk, "Lastman loses council battle", The Globe and Mail, May 23, 2002, A19; Bruce DeMara, "Lastman attack falls flat", Toronto Star, May 23, 2002, B03; Linda Diebel, "Miller: A candidate 'clear on who he is'", October 11, 2003, A01.