In 2022, Lorenzo Berardinetti lost an attempted return to municipal politics. Then, his health failed too
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Support is growing for a former Ontario politician, now homeless, to help him restart his life.
Lorenzo Berardinetti, a lawyer by profession and former municipal councillor and four-time Liberal MPP, lost his Scarborough-Southwest seat in the 2018 election. In 2022, his attempted return to municipal politics in Scarborough failed. Then, his health did too. He suffered a seizure and was in a coma for a month.
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He was divorced from his wife in 2021, so when he came out of the hospital, he lived with his brother in Ajax, Ont. for a while. But money tension between the siblings arose and Berardinetti left in 2023, eventually ending up in an Ajax homeless shelter.
His plight was written about in a Toronto newspaper last week, sparking development of a coalition of past and present elected officials and political staffers from all points on the political spectrum wanting to help.
A GoFundMe page is set up
By midday, Tuesday, a GoFundMe page went live with the aim of assisting Berardinetti in getting out from under his financial and personal troubles.
“We know Lorenzo Berardinetti through his work as an elected official in our community,” reads a note on the page.
It sets out the span of his multi-faceted political career through the years. “Since leaving office in 2018, Lorenzo has fallen on hard times like so many Canadians,” reads the GoFundMe page.
“We know Lorenzo through his work as a city builder and service to the people of the Toronto and it would mean a lot to us if you would assist us with a financial contribution through this GoFundMe page. Proceeds will assist us in securing an apartment unit so we can get him out of a shelter and purchasing some basic furniture.”
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A political colleague reaches out to shelter
Before the page could go up, Berardinetti’s permission was required. Former Conservative MPP Justin Van Dette, the page organizer, sought him out, contacting homeless shelters in Ajax.
Van Dette recalls his first brushes with Berardinetti, which date back to municipal council meetings in Toronto. A Tory since his high school years, Van Dette would attend the meetings to watch the proceedings while wearing a jacket that marked him as “Team Harris” — as in a supporter of former Ontario Conservative premier Mike Harris.
He watched Berardinetti in action. “I saw him speak positively about the issues. I respected him,” he told the National Post on Tuesday. Ultimately, Berardinetti helped Van Dette form a worldview that despite political affiliation “we were all committed to the cause.”
Van Dette went on to work for prominent Toronto municipal players, Case Otis and Brad Duguid. In those days, the extent of his contact with Berardinetti was passing him in City Hall corridors. Then, they both moved on to the Ontario legislature where Van Dette’s view of Berardinetti as one of the good ones was confirmed.
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Van Dette now works for real estate developer, Tridel, and is involved in community fundraising. And so, 15 years after the two men last spoke, he began to reach out to former political colleagues, seeking support for Berardinetti.
Unanimous agreement from all sides
During a recent group call, he says “there was unanimous agreement. Everyone wanted to help him get out of the shelter.”
The initiative has been quickly gathering support from past and present elected officials and political staffers. Some are listed on the GoFundMe page. They include, among others, former premier Kathleen Wynne, former Toronto mayor John Tory (also a former provincial Conservative party leader) and other prominent names from provincial and municipal ranks such as: Lisa MacLeod, David Warner, George Smitherman, Brad Duguid, Gary Crawford, Councillor Parthi Kandavel, Councillor Brad Bradford and Ana Bailão.
Premier Doug Ford and former premier Dalton McGuinty have also expressed their support, says Van Dette. “It’s wonderful that people from all sides want to help. It’s so great to see so many sign up, already.”
Conservative MPP gives the GoFundMe page a boost
Conservative MPP Lisa MacLeod got the word out about the GoFundMe initiative via a Tuesday morning post to her X account. While the two were on the opposite sides of the aisle, she too carries a lot of respect for Berardinetti’s integrity.
“Please consider supporting Lorenzo Berardinetti — former TO City Councillor & MPP,” she wrote on X. “A prince of a man & gentle soul, he has fallen on hard times. Without pension or work he is homeless despite 5 terms serving Ontario. You can help him get back on his feet.”
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She pointed out in a conversation with the National Post on Tuesday that an element of Berardinetti’s dilemma is the fact that Ontario MPPs don’t leave office greeted by a pension. The provincial government of former premier Mike Harris got rid of them two decades ago. And they haven’t been restored in any form.
That means, says MacLeod, that MPPs transition back to private life with whatever they saved from their salary while in office (presently $116,000 for an MPP without a ministerial portfolio) and a $7K transition fund. “There is no safety net.”
Berardinetti first former MPP to become homeless
She says Berardinetti is certainly not the first former politician to fall on hard times after leaving office. “But he’s the first to be homeless.”
The efforts that she, Van Dette and their colleagues have undertaken aim to get Berardinetti out of the shelter into safe housing and also to ensure he can pay for any medication he needs and buy groceries.
They are also looking to collect sufficient furniture for him, she says. “Everybody is willing to pitch in.”
Like Van Dette, she points to the support developing across political lines. “We don’t want to see anyone fall on hard times.”
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Berardinetti “humbled”
Lorenzo Berardinetti is “humbled” by his former political allies and adversaries coming together to help him.
“I’m grateful to Justin and Liza,” he told the Post during a phone interview on Tuesday.
He says his ideas about the nature of politics were set early in his life. He grew up in a Liberal household, but his first recollection of family involvement in politics was the day he came home from school and a sign showing support for a (former) NDP MPP was on the front lawn.
“‘But we’re Liberal,’ I said to Dad. He responded that the candidate, David Warner, was the only one that cared about the working man.”
That’s lesson stuck with him. “When you get involved in politics, you look around for examples.” David Warner was his first MPP and later an influence when they were both representatives, though of different stripes, sitting in the Ontario legislature.
Some good news for Berardinetti is that his doctor recently gave him a good bill of health and cleared him to return to work. He intends to get back into law and open a practice in Ajax.
Going into hole and tough to climb out
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However, it’s been tough. “When you go into a shelter, you go into a hole. It’s hard to get out of it.”
He notes that shelters are places where everyday people can find themselves — not just addicts. He has met two couples who simply couldn’t afford their mortgages and lost their homes.
To support himself, he has been drawing on his Canada Pension. It only amounts to about $800 a month for a person who has begun drawing it early, he says, adding, it’s a very small amount “to pay rent, buy food, get a regular haircut” or buy a new pair of running shoes.
However, after a year in a homeless shelter, he says, “I look forward to sleeping in a bed and closing my bedroom door.”
The developing network of support around him has been an added boost. “It gives me hope.”
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