James Ditson Service

James Ditson Service LLB, (May 24, 1926 - August 1, 2014) was the last reeve of the Township and first Mayor of the Borough of North York.
Service was born in 1926 in Toronto, grew up in North Toronto/Lawrence Park area attending Allenby Public School and North Toronto Collegiate Institute and graduated from the University of Toronto and then Osgoode Hall Law School. Service was called to Ontario bar as lawyer in 1954.<ref name="legacy1"/>
He entered public life a Ward 7 councillor in 1958 and became reeve of North York in 1964, defeating incumbent Norman Goodhead. He ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal MPP in the riding of York Mills in 1963 losing to Tory Dalton Bales.<ref name="legacy1"/>
Service was the first mayor of the then Borough of North York and served on Metro Toronto Council. Service retired from local politics in 1969 and continued his legal practice.<ref name="legacy1"/>
Outside of law, Service was involved in property development, worked with John Lombardi in creating CHIN Radio.<ref name="legacy1"/>
Service lived in Toronto and on his farm in Collingwood, Ontario.
Service died on August 1, 2014 in Toronto.<ref name="legacy1"/>

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