Shirley Collins (politician)

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Shirley Jean Collins (born October 7, 1952 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1987 to 1990, and was a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson.

Collins was educated at McMaster University. She was a special assistant to federal Member of Parliament John Munro from 1979 to 1981, and a constituency assistant to Member of Provincial Parliament Sheila Copps from 1981 to 1982. From 1982 to 1987, Collins served as an alderman and regional councillor in Hamilton.

She first ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1985 provincial election, losing to incumbent New Democrat Robert W. Mackenzie by 1,600 votes in the Hamilton East constituency. In the 1987 election, she was handily elected in the neighbouring riding of Wentworth East.

On August 2, 1989, Collins was named a minister without portfolio responsible for Handicapped Persons. She held this position for just over a year.

The Liberals were unexpectedly defeated by the New Democratic Party in the 1990 provincial election, and Collins lost her seat to NDP candidate Mark Morrow by 3,147 votes. She ran again in the 1995 election, but lost to Progressive Conservative Ed Doyle by 3,606 votes.

After leaving the legislature, Collins became the owner and operator of a private investigation agency. She was appointed to the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board in 2003. Her son Chad Collins is a member of the Hamilton City Council.