Diane was born and educated in Montreal, Quebec. She attended McGill University where she obtained a degree in Physical Education, a subject she later taught at both McGill University and the University of Toronto. Diane has done community volunteer work in both Halifax, Nova Scotia and Ottawa. She is the past President of the Centretown Citizens Community Association and Heritage Ottawa.
Since being first elected Ottawa City Councillor for Wellington Ward in December 1982, she has maintained a strong interest in planning, transportation, the environment, culture, health services and women's issues. In 1994 she became the first directly elected Regional Councillor for Somerset Ward, and was acclaimed to another term three years later. In 2003, 2006 and again in 2010 Diane was elected as City Councillor for Somerset Ward, where she now serves a diverse community of all ages, incomes, and origins.