Ottawa City Councillor Diane Deans announces battle with cancer

After a summer of not feeling well and a myriad of medical tests, I received the devastating diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

I am most grateful to the dedicated staff at the Shirley Greenberg Women’s Health Centre and the Cancer Clinic who are guiding me through the process of treatment and recovery.

I trust that you will understand my absence from the Council table over the next number of months as my treatment starts tomorrow and I will need to focus all my energy on beating this insidious disease. 

I will of course stay in close touch with my staff who will continue to serve my constituents well.

I know the Vice Chairs of both the Police Services Board and Crime Prevention Ottawa, will very capably lead in my absence.

I have served this city for 25 years with passion and dedication and I look forward to returning to the job that I love, healthy and cancer free, sometime next year. In the meantime, my family and I would appreciate your respect for our privacy as we journey toward recovery.

Your thoughts and prayers mean the world to me.

Diane Deans

Councillor, Gloucester-Southgate Ward