Dave Wilson (Ontario politician)
Encyclopedia
Dave Wilson is a municipal politician in Hamilton
, Ontario
, Canada
. He was a member of Hamilton City Council from 1990 to 2000.
cable splicer before running for office. He is a member of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada
, and served as president of the Hamilton and District Labour Council in the 1980s. Originally a Progressive Conservative
, he left that party in 1979 due to its pro-development stand on the Red Hill Creek Expressway and later joined the New Democratic Party. He was an international election observer in Panama
in 1986.
Wilson campaigned for the federal New Democratic Party
in the 1988 federal election
, and finished second against Liberal
incumbent Sheila Copps
in Hamilton East.
was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
. He quickly emerged as a prominent voice on the council's progressive wing, and was re-elected without difficulty in the 1991 municipal election. The only New Democrat on the new council, he won support from across the political spectrum for his performance on council and commitment to municipal affairs. He was appointed to the Hamilton-Wentworth Region Airport Management Board, and chaired the regional environmental services committee. In 1992, he served on an investigation into problems at the sludge-drying system at the Woodward Avenue sewage treatment plant. He called for the city's diesel-powered buses to be replaced over time with trolley and natural-gas buses, and unsuccessfully sought to keep the trolley cars active in 1994.
Wilson criticized the provincial New Democratic Party government of Bob Rae
in 1992 for its proposal to expand gambling services in selected Ontario cities. He indicated that he would oppose plans to introduce a casino
to Hamilton. Subsequently, Wilson opposed the Rae government's plans to expand Sunday shopping
services. In each instance, he argued that the NDP government was violating its own party policy. Wilson also opposed plans to establish the Red Hill Creek Expressway near the city, although he reluctanctly supported a compromise plan brought forward by the Rae government in 1994.
Wilson was an early supporter of putting condom machine
s in Hamilton-area schools, with the intent of reducing the spread of diseases and saving lives. The Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Council rejected the move in November 1992.
In 1995, he recommended cuts to the local arts community in order to retain social services for at-risk and low-income residents. He was quoted as saying, "I'd rather see someone get into the Wesley Urban Ministries men's shelter than Opera Hamilton". He later suggested that the city should withdraw financial support from the Art Gallery of Hamilton, arguing that it was not serving a useful purpose for most citizens.
Wilson continued to oppose a casino option for the city, and led a move to ban lap dancing in city bars in late 1995. He strongly opposed the workfare
policies introduced by the Mike Harris
provincial government, describing them as "nothing more than indentured servitude". He also spoke against a revised plan for the Red Hill Creek Expressway in 1997. Following a serious industrial fire the same year, Wilson argued that Hamilton should be given the power to close businesses that violate the fire code.
Wilson supported a single-tier government for the Hamilton-Wentworth region, involving the amalgamation
of Hamilton with neighbouring municipalities. He proposed a referendum
on the issue, and fought to ensure the rights of labour in the proposed transition.
In 1995, Wilson oversaw a contract which allowed the private firm Philip Utilities Management Corp. (PUMC) to treat the city's water. He acknowledged that he had "serious reservations" about the deal, and was opposed to privatization in principle. Nonetheless, he indicated in 1999 that the plan was working properly. Serious difficulties later developed with the project, and its leading proponent, Stuart Smith
, described it as a great disappointment.
Wilson considered running for the federal New Democratic Party in a 1996 by-election in Hamilton East, but declined.
In May 1998, he supported a compromise plan on amalgamation that called for a blending of regional government services. When this plan was rejected, Wilson again spoke in favour of a single municipality for the region. Following numerous delays, the new City of Hamilton was created in 2000 by an amalgamation of the old city with the neighbouring suburbs. Wilson was a prominent ally of regional chair Terry Cooke
in support of the amalgamation position.
In early 1998, Ontario Court Justice David Crane ruled that Wilson libelled former alderman John Gallagher and George Watson by making public reference to allegations that Gallagher assaulted a worker at a Hamilton sludge treatment plant. The city appealed the decision. Madame Justice Rosalie Abella
upheld Crane's ruling in July 2000, while also determining that the region could not be held liable for damages.
Wilson filled in for wardmate Geraldine Copps
on city and regional committees in 1999, when ill health prevented her from attending meetings. As finance chair, he was sometimes critical of demands for police spending.
Wilson lost his council seat in the 2000 municipal election, narrowly falling to challenger Sam Merulla following what he described as the "ugliest" and "dirtiest" campaign he had ever seen. After his defeat, became president of Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union Local 42.
He was defeated by Merulla again in the 2006 municipal election.
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was a member of Hamilton City Council from 1990 to 2000.
Early life and career
Wilson was a Bell CanadaBell Canada
Bell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
cable splicer before running for office. He is a member of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada
Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada
See also Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol SCEPCommunications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, abbreviated CEP in English and SCEP in French, is a largely private sector labour union with 150,000 members...
, and served as president of the Hamilton and District Labour Council in the 1980s. Originally a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
, he left that party in 1979 due to its pro-development stand on the Red Hill Creek Expressway and later joined the New Democratic Party. He was an international election observer in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
in 1986.
Wilson campaigned for the federal New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
in the 1988 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1988
The Canadian federal election of 1988 was held November 21, 1988, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 34th Parliament of Canada. It was an election largely fought on a single issue: the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement ....
, and finished second against Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
incumbent Sheila Copps
Sheila Copps
Sheila Maureen Copps, PC is a former Canadian politician who also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to April 30, 1996 and June 19, 1996 to June 11, 1997....
in Hamilton East.
By-election victory and first full term
Wilson was first elected to city council in a 1990 by-election, after incumbent councillor David ChristophersonDavid Christopherson
David Christopherson is a Canadian politician. Since 2004, he has represented the riding of Hamilton Centre in the Canadian House of Commons. He previously served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the provincial government of Bob Rae...
was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
. He quickly emerged as a prominent voice on the council's progressive wing, and was re-elected without difficulty in the 1991 municipal election. The only New Democrat on the new council, he won support from across the political spectrum for his performance on council and commitment to municipal affairs. He was appointed to the Hamilton-Wentworth Region Airport Management Board, and chaired the regional environmental services committee. In 1992, he served on an investigation into problems at the sludge-drying system at the Woodward Avenue sewage treatment plant. He called for the city's diesel-powered buses to be replaced over time with trolley and natural-gas buses, and unsuccessfully sought to keep the trolley cars active in 1994.
Wilson criticized the provincial New Democratic Party government of Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
in 1992 for its proposal to expand gambling services in selected Ontario cities. He indicated that he would oppose plans to introduce a casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
to Hamilton. Subsequently, Wilson opposed the Rae government's plans to expand Sunday shopping
Sunday shopping
Sunday shopping refers to the ability of retailers to operate stores on Sunday, a day that Christian tradition typically recognizes as the Sabbath, a "day of rest". Rules governing shopping hours, such as Sunday shopping, vary around the world but some European nations continue to ban Sunday shopping...
services. In each instance, he argued that the NDP government was violating its own party policy. Wilson also opposed plans to establish the Red Hill Creek Expressway near the city, although he reluctanctly supported a compromise plan brought forward by the Rae government in 1994.
Wilson was an early supporter of putting condom machine
Condom machine
A condom machine is a vending machine for the sale of condoms. Condom machines are often placed in public toilets, subway stations and airports as a public health measure to promote safe sex. Many pharmacies also keep one outside, for after-hours access...
s in Hamilton-area schools, with the intent of reducing the spread of diseases and saving lives. The Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Council rejected the move in November 1992.
Second term
Wilson was re-elected in the 1994 municipal campaign, in which he was the only candidate in the city to be officially endorsed by the NDP. He was re-appointed as chair of the regional environmental services committee after the election, represented Hamilton-Wentworth of the Royal Botanical Gardens Board of Directors, and served as chair of the city's licencing committee. He also chaired the region's air quality task force, and welcomed a federal study into the city's air quality in 1996. Wilson indicated that environmental services in Hamilton were a billion-dollar industry, in marked contrast to the city's reputation for industrial pollution a decade earlier.In 1995, he recommended cuts to the local arts community in order to retain social services for at-risk and low-income residents. He was quoted as saying, "I'd rather see someone get into the Wesley Urban Ministries men's shelter than Opera Hamilton". He later suggested that the city should withdraw financial support from the Art Gallery of Hamilton, arguing that it was not serving a useful purpose for most citizens.
Wilson continued to oppose a casino option for the city, and led a move to ban lap dancing in city bars in late 1995. He strongly opposed the workfare
Workfare
Workfare is an alternative model to conventional social welfare systems. The term was first introduced by civil rights leader James Charles Evers in 1968; however, it was popularized by Richard Nixon in a televised speech August 1969...
policies introduced by the Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
provincial government, describing them as "nothing more than indentured servitude". He also spoke against a revised plan for the Red Hill Creek Expressway in 1997. Following a serious industrial fire the same year, Wilson argued that Hamilton should be given the power to close businesses that violate the fire code.
Wilson supported a single-tier government for the Hamilton-Wentworth region, involving the amalgamation
Amalgamation (politics)
A merger or amalgamation in a political or administrative sense is the combination of two or more political or administrative entities such as municipalities , counties, districts, etc. into a single entity. This term is used when the process occurs within a sovereign entity...
of Hamilton with neighbouring municipalities. He proposed a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
on the issue, and fought to ensure the rights of labour in the proposed transition.
In 1995, Wilson oversaw a contract which allowed the private firm Philip Utilities Management Corp. (PUMC) to treat the city's water. He acknowledged that he had "serious reservations" about the deal, and was opposed to privatization in principle. Nonetheless, he indicated in 1999 that the plan was working properly. Serious difficulties later developed with the project, and its leading proponent, Stuart Smith
Stuart Lyon Smith
Stuart Lyon Smith is a politician, psychiatrist, academic and public servant in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1982, and led the Ontario Liberal Party for most of this period....
, described it as a great disappointment.
Wilson considered running for the federal New Democratic Party in a 1996 by-election in Hamilton East, but declined.
Third term
Wilson was re-elected without difficulty in the 1997 municipal election. He refused to distribute campaign signs, arguing that they were environmentally unsound. He was appointed chair of the city's finance and administration committee, and became vice-chair of its transport and environment committee. Wilson criticized the Harris government's tax reform policy, arguing that it added unnecessary complexity to the municipal system.In May 1998, he supported a compromise plan on amalgamation that called for a blending of regional government services. When this plan was rejected, Wilson again spoke in favour of a single municipality for the region. Following numerous delays, the new City of Hamilton was created in 2000 by an amalgamation of the old city with the neighbouring suburbs. Wilson was a prominent ally of regional chair Terry Cooke
Terry Cooke
Terence John "Terry" Cooke is an English footballer, currently without a club. He began his career with Manchester United, but struggled to break into the first team and had loan spells with Sunderland, Birmingham City and Wrexham before moving to United's local rivals Manchester City in 1999...
in support of the amalgamation position.
In early 1998, Ontario Court Justice David Crane ruled that Wilson libelled former alderman John Gallagher and George Watson by making public reference to allegations that Gallagher assaulted a worker at a Hamilton sludge treatment plant. The city appealed the decision. Madame Justice Rosalie Abella
Rosalie Abella
Rosalie Silberman Abella, is a Canadian jurist. She was appointed in 2004 to the Supreme Court of Canada, becoming the first Jewish woman to sit on the Canadian Supreme Court bench.- Early life :...
upheld Crane's ruling in July 2000, while also determining that the region could not be held liable for damages.
Wilson filled in for wardmate Geraldine Copps
Geraldine Copps
Geraldine Copps is a veteran political figure in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She is the widow of former mayor Victor Copps and a former councillor of that city...
on city and regional committees in 1999, when ill health prevented her from attending meetings. As finance chair, he was sometimes critical of demands for police spending.
Wilson lost his council seat in the 2000 municipal election, narrowly falling to challenger Sam Merulla following what he described as the "ugliest" and "dirtiest" campaign he had ever seen. After his defeat, became president of Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union Local 42.
He was defeated by Merulla again in the 2006 municipal election.