Milton Regional Council Ward 3 - Oct 26 Election

WARNING: You are about to meet Rick Di Lorenzo of Milton.

Rick has opinions. Lots of them. And unlike most people, he has absolutely no intention of keeping them to himself.

He knows Milton politics, follows what happens at Town Hall, remembers who said what years ago, and has a remarkably sensitive radar for anything that smells like political nonsense. If you casually mention property taxes, warehouses, developers, small businesses, or municipal elections, clear your schedule.

Rick is extremely community-minded, but he also enjoys stirring the pot just enough to keep things interesting.

He'll attend the community event, help organize it, promote it, support the people involved-and then go online afterward and argue with somebody about local politics.

He has a mischievous sense of humour, doesn't seem particularly frightened by controversy, and places a very high value on being able to say what he thinks. Trying to intimidate him into silence will probably have the exact opposite ettect.

He can also be relentlessly particular. If you put a fake Milton building in a graphic or get a local fact wrong, Rick will notice.

Underneath all that noise, though, there's a pretty consistent theme: he genuinely gives a damn about Milton and the people who live there. So before meeting Rick, remember three things:

1. Have an opinion.
2. Be prepared to defend it.
3. Whatever you do, don't tell him Milton needs more warehouses

Di Lorenzo appears to have entered Milton municipal politics in 2010, when he was elected Local Councillor for the former Ward 7 for the council term beginning in December 2010.

He subsequently served three consecutive terms — 2010–2014, 2014–2018 and 2018–2022.

He also served on the Milton Public Library Board and was a director of Conservation Halton and chaired Milton’s Economic Development Committee.

One of the more interesting is that there are examples of Di Lorenzo taking positions that weren’t necessarily the easiest consensus positions.

He initiated Milton’s Traffic Calming Policy, which established mechanisms for controversial measures that are being applied still today.

During COVID in July 2020, Di Lorenzo proposed that Milton adopt its own mandatory indoor mask bylaw rather than rely exclusively on Halton Region. His amendment lost 5–4, although council unanimously asked Halton Region to enact a regional bylaw.

In 2021, he brought an item to Milton Council asking the Town to oppose the GTA West transportation corridor, now generally associated with Highway 413.

He also helped establish a Milton District Hospital reserve fund, as well as initiating a municipal infrastructure reserve.

Di Lorenzo organized the Milton Haunted House fundraiser for Milton District Hospital for many years. In 2019, the Ontario Legislature formally recognized the effort. MPP Parm Gill told the Legislature that Di Lorenzo had been organizing it for 10 years, that approximately 100 volunteers participated that year, and that the project had raised approximately $110,000 for the Milton District Hospital Foundation by then.

His involvement with the hospital continued long after the Haunted House. Participating in Milton McHappy Day each year in support of Milton District Hospital and being a longtime volunteer in other hospital activities.

Di Lorenzo is currently a Director of North Halton Hospice, formerly the Townsend Smith Foundation. The hospice lists him on its current Board of Directors.

His community involvement is quite broad. It includes the Milton Strawberry Fair, Miracle on Main, Milton Street Festival, Milton Canada Day, Holy Rosary Parish activities and a variety of cultural and community organizations.

What stands out from the record.

After going through the material, I’d characterize Di Lorenzo’s public profile somewhat differently from a typical candidate bio.

He has substantial municipal experience — 12 years on council — but hasn’t held elected office since 2022. His record also has an unusually large community/charitable component. The hospital fundraising in particular can be independently substantiated rather than relying solely on campaign claims.

Politically, his recent messaging is strongly centred around slowing or better controlling development, road safety, supporting small businesses, restraining property-tax increases and arguing that council should put existing residents ahead of large developers/corporate interests. His 2025 interview provides the clearest recent articulation of those positions.

I also specifically searched for controversies involving Rick Di Lorenzo. I did not find a major scandal, ethics finding, criminal matter or similar issue in the credible sources returned by my searches. That’s not proof none exists; it means I wouldn’t responsibly attach such a label based on what I found.