Ted McMeekin

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 is a minister in the new government of Kathleen Wynne.

Background

McMeekin holds a 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]

Cabinet positions

Electoral record

References

Notes

Citations

External links

• Official website
• Ontario Legislative Assembly Parliamentarian History

Ministry of Premier Kathleen Wynne (2013-) 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario (2013-2014) Jim Bradley (Environment) Laurel Broten (Intergovernmental Affairs) Michael Chan (Tourism, Culture and Sport) Bob Chiarelli (Energy) Michael Coteau (Citizenship and Immigration) Brad Duguid (Training, Colleges and Universities) Kevin Flynn Michael Gravelle (Northern Development and Mines) Eric Hoskins (Economic Development, Trade and Employment) Linda Jeffrey (Municipal Affairs and Housing) Jeff Leal (Rural Affairs) Tracy MacCharles (Consumer Services) Deb Matthews (Health, Deputy Premier) Ted McMeekin (Community and Social Services) Madeleine Meilleur (Community Safety and Correctional Services) Reza Moridi (Research and Innovation) Glen Murray (Infrastructure, Transport) David Orazietti (Natural Resources) Liz Sandals (Education) Mario Sergio (MwP: Seniors) Charles Sousa (Finance) Harinder Takhar (Government Services) Kathleen Wynne (Premier, Agriculture) David Zimmer (Aboriginal Affairs) 41st Legislative Assembly of Ontario (2014-) Jim Bradley (Chair) Michael Chan (Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade) Bob Chiarelli (Energy) Michael Coteau (Tourism Culture and Sport, 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games) Dipika Damerla (MwP, Long-Term Care and Wellness) Steven Del Duca (Transport) Brad Duguid (Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure) Kevin Flynn (Labour) Michael Gravelle (Northern Development and Mines) Eric Hoskins (Health and Long-Term Care) Mitzie Hunter (MwP, Ontario Retirement Pension Plan) Helena Jaczek (Community and Social Services) Linda Jeffrey (Municipal Affairs and Housing) Jeff Leal (Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) Tracy MacCharles (Children and Youth Services, Women’s Issues) Deb Matthews (Deputy Premier, President of Treasury Board) Bill Mauro (Natural Resources and Forestry) Ted McMeekin (Municipal Affairs and Housing) Madeleine Meilleur (Attorney General) Reza Moridi (Research and Innovation, Training, Colleges and Universities) Glen Murray (Environment and Climate Change) Yasir Naqvi (Community Safety and Correctional Services) David Orazietti (Government and Consumer Services) Liz Sandals (Education) Mario Sergio (MwP: Seniors) Charles Sousa (Finance) Kathleen Wynne (Premier, Intergovernmental Affairs) David Zimmer (Aboriginal Affairs)