Dan Waters

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Daniel Waters is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995.

Waters worked at the Bracebridge Alcan plant before 1990, and now operates an auto repair and service shop in Baysville.

He first ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1987 provincial election, but finished third in the central Ontario riding of Muskoka—Georgian Bay against Liberal Ken Black.

The NDP won an unexpected majority government in the 1990 provincial election, and Waters was elected for the riding on his second try. He defeated Progressive Conservative Marilyn Rowe by just under 3,000 votes; Black finished third. Waters was not appointed to cabinet, but served as a parliamentary assistant from 1990 to 1995. The NDP government provided extensive funding for winter tourism in the Muskoka region.

In 1994, Waters was one of twelve NDP MPPs to against government legislation that would have extended spousal benefits to same-sex couples. This decision cost him support within the party.

The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election, and Waters was defeated in his bid for re-election, finishing third against Progressive Conservative Bill Grimmett. He ran for the NDP again in the 1999 provincial election, but finished a distant third against PC candidate (and future Premier of Ontario) Ernie Eves in the redistributed riding of Parry Sound—Muskoka. In 2000, he unsuccessfully campaigned for a municipal seat in Lake of Bays Township.

Following the 1999 election, Waters shifted his allegiance from the NDP to the Liberal Party. For the 2003 provincial election, he won the Parry Sound—Muskoka Liberal nomination over Evelyn Brown, and challenged Progressive Conservative incumbent Norm Miller, who had succeeded Eves in a by-election. Although the Liberals won a majority government provincially, Waters lost to Miller by more than 5,000 votes.