Ted McMeekin
| Ted McMeekin MPP | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot (2000-2007) | |
|
Assumed office September 7, 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Toni Skarica |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1948 (age 67–68) |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Residence | Waterdown, Ontario |
Ted McMeekin (born c. 1948) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in a by-election in 2000. He represents the riding of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale. He served as a cabinet minister in the government of Dalton McGuinty and in the government of Kathleen Wynne.
Background
McMeekin completed his bachelor's degree in Social Work at McMaster University and his Master's Degree in social work from Wilfrid Laurier University. He has served as executive director of the Burlington Social Planning Council, and was for a time the chair of part-time studies at Mohawk College (where he also taught courses). He has also worked on social justice issues for the United Church of Canada, and was the owner and operator of a small bookstore for eight years.
Municipal politics
Before entering provincial politics, McMeekin was a member of the Hamilton, Ontario City Council representing Ward 7 (Hamilton Mountain). After retiring from Council, he moved to Flamborough, Ontario, a rural community which lies on the outskirts of Hamilton, and later served a term of six years as mayor.[1] McMeekin was also for a number of years Flamborough's representative on the Hamilton-Wentworth regional council, which the provincial government of Mike Harris eliminated in 2000 by amalgamating the city and outlying regions into a single political entity. McMeekin was one of the most vocal opponents of this change, noting that it would result in a loss of autonomy for Flamborough.
Provincial politics
McMeekin's plans to jump from municipal to provincial politics had been rumoured for years, and it came as no surprise when he won the Liberal nomination for a by-election to be held in ADFA on September 7, 2000 (called following the resignation of Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Toni Skarica, another vocal opponent of the amalgamation scheme). Although the seat had gone overwhelmingly for the Progressive Conservatives the previous year, McMeekin managed to defeat PC candidate Priscilla de Villiers by over 9,000 votes. The Conservatives had spent $211,989 on his competitor, nearly $80,000 in excess of McMeekin's $132,143.[2] Local opposition to amalgamation was generally cited as the reason for this shift.
In the provincial election of 2003, McMeekin defeated Tory candidate Mark Mullins by a somewhat reduced margin.[3] He served as parliamentary assistant to John Gerretsen in his capacity as the Minister responsible for Seniors from October 23, 2003 to September 27, 2004. On September 27, 2004, he was appointed assistant to Jim Watson, the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services.
In the provincial election of 2007, McMeekin defeated Progressive Conservative candidate Chris Corrigan.[4] On October 30, 2007, McMeekin was named a cabinet minister, responsible for Government and Consumer Services.[5] He was re-elected in 2011[6] and appointed Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.[7]
In 2013, McMeekin supported Kathleen Wynne in her bid to become Liberal leader.[8] After Wynne won, she named McMeekin to her first cabinet as Minister of Community and Social Services.[9]
McMeekin was re-elected in 2014.[10] Shortly after the election, she appointed McMeekin as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.[11] He left cabinet in June 2016 as part of a cabinet shuffle.[12]
Cabinet positions
| Provincial Government of Kathleen Wynne | ||
| Cabinet Posts (2) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Bill Mauro | Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing 2014–2016 |
Bill Mauro (Municipal Affairs) Chris Ballard (Housing) |
| John Milloy | Minister of Community and Social Services 2013–2014 |
Helena Jaczek |
| Provincial Government of Dalton McGuinty | ||
| Cabinet Posts (2) | ||
| Predecessor | Office | Successor |
| Carol Mitchell | Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs 2011–2013 |
Jeff Leal [note 1] Kathleen Wynne [note 2] |
| Harinder Takhar | Minister of Consumer Services 2007–2010 |
Sophia Aggelonitis |
Electoral record
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal | Ted McMeekin | 20,525 | 41.5 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Chris Corrigan | 17,219 | 34.8 | ||
| New Democratic | Juanita Maldonado | 6,542 | 13.2 | ||
| Green | David Januczkowski | 4,243 | 8.6 | ||
| Family Coalition | Jim Enos | 501 | 1.0 | ||
| Independent | Martin Zaliniak | 219 | 0.4 | ||
| Confederation of Regions | Eileen Butson | 129 | 0.3 | ||
| Libertarian | Sam Zaslavsky | 65 | 0.1 | ||
| Ontario general election, 2003 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +/- (1999) |
+/- (2000) | ||
| Liberal | Ted McMeekin | 23,045 | 47.5 | +14.0 | -12.1 | ||
| Progressive Conservative | Mark Mullins | 18,141 | 37.4 | -20.7 | +6.9 | ||
| New Democratic | Kelly Hayes | 5,666 | 11.7 | +2.3 | +4.8 | ||
| Green | Brian Elder Sullivan | 903 | 1.9 | - | -0.8 | ||
| Family Coalition | Michael Trolly | 434 | 0.9 | – | – | ||
| Confederation of Regions | Richard Butson | 293 | 0.6 | – | – | ||
| By-election: February 7, 2000 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +/- | |
| Liberal | Ted McMeekin | 19,916 | 59.6 | +26.1 | |
| Progressive Conservative | Priscilla De Villiers | 10,201 | 30.5 | -27.6 | |
| New Democratic | Jessica Brennan | 2,297 | 6.7 | -1.5 | |
| Green | Mark Coakley | 1,405 | 4.14 | - | |
| Independent | John Turmel | 80 | 0.2 | - | |
References
Notes
Citations
- ↑ Brennan, Richard (September 4, 2000). "Hostile voters target Tory in Hamilton by-election". The Toronto Star.
- ↑ "Big budget didn't bring election win". The Hamilton Spectator. April 17, 2001.
- ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate". Elections Ontario. October 2, 2003. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 10, 2007. p. 1 (x). Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- ↑ Ferguson, Rob; Benzie, Robert (October 31, 2007). "Premier goes for new blood; Expanded 28-member cabinet has eight ministers from Toronto, three from 905 area". Toronto Star. p. A13.
- ↑ "Summary of Valid Ballots Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. October 6, 2011. p. 1. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
- ↑ "Ontario's new cabinet". Toronto Star. October 21, 2011. p. A18.
- ↑ "Ted McMeekin backs Wynne in Liberal bid". Hamilton Spectator. November 20, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Ontario's new cabinet". Waterloo Region Record. Kitchener, Ont. February 12, 2013. p. A3.
- ↑ "General Election by District: Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale". Elections Ontario. June 12, 2014.
- ↑ Richard Brennan; Robert Benzie; Rob Ferguson (June 24, 2014). "Kathleen Wynne warns financial cupboard is bare". Toronto Star.
- ↑ https://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/06/13/struggling-wynne-shuffles-cabinet-adds-7-new-ministers.html
