Peter Wong (Canadian politician)
Encyclopedia
Peter Wong was a Canadian
politician, who served as mayor
of Sudbury, Ontario
from 1982 to 1991, and chair of the Regional Municipality of Sudbury
from 1997 until his death the following year.
Born in Saskatchewan
, Wong moved to Sudbury in 1969. A civil engineer
, he worked for the Department of Highways
in the 1970s before taking a job with the city's public works department.
had implemented in early 1982, Wong successfully challenged Lamoureux for the mayoralty in that year's municipal election. He was the city's first non-white
mayor, and one of the first Chinese Canadian
mayors anywhere in Canada.
His term as mayor was marked by efforts to diversify the city's mining
-based economy. One of the most notable projects to take place during his term was the creation of Science North
, an interactive science museum
which launched in 1984.
In the 1991 municipal elections, former mayor Jim Gordon sought a return to office, and Wong was defeated.
, the provincial government reformed the structure of the regional municipality, making the position of regional council chair a generally elected position for the first time. The position had previously been filled by a vote within council. Wong stood as a candidate and won, becoming the municipality's first elected regional chair.
After serving less than a year in that office, Wong died of a heart attack on June 6, 1998 while attending a meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
. On June 8, tributes to Wong were delivered in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
by Rick Bartolucci
and Shelley Martel
, and on June 10, a tribute was delivered in the House of Commons by Ray Bonin.
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...
politician, who served as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Sudbury, 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....
from 1982 to 1991, and chair of the Regional Municipality of Sudbury
Regional Municipality of Sudbury, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of Sudbury was a regional municipality in Ontario, Canada, which existed from 1973 to 2000.-Structure:The regional municipality expanded the boundaries of the city of Sudbury to annex the community of Copper Cliff, the unincorporated geographic township of Broder and half...
from 1997 until his death the following year.
Born in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Wong moved to Sudbury in 1969. A civil engineer
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
, he worked for the Department of Highways
Ministry of Transportation (Ontario)
The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario is the provincial ministry of the government of Ontario which is responsible for transport infrastructure and related law in Ontario. The ministry traces its roots back over a century to the 1890s, when the province began training Provincial Road Building...
in the 1970s before taking a job with the city's public works department.
Mayoralty
After losing his job with the city in a round of austerity measures incumbent mayor Maurice LamoureuxMaurice Lamoureux
Maurice Lamoureux is a former politician in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. He was an alderman for several years, and served as mayor of Sudbury from 1981 to 1982.Lamoureux was an office supervisor at Falconbridge Ltd. in private life...
had implemented in early 1982, Wong successfully challenged Lamoureux for the mayoralty in that year's municipal election. He was the city's first non-white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
mayor, and one of the first Chinese Canadian
Chinese Canadian
Chinese Canadians are Canadians of Chinese descent. They constitute the second-largest visible minority group in Canada, after South Asian Canadians...
mayors anywhere in Canada.
His term as mayor was marked by efforts to diversify the city's mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
-based economy. One of the most notable projects to take place during his term was the creation of Science North
Science North
Science North is an interactive science museum in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.The complex, which is Northern Ontario's most popular tourist attraction, consists of two snowflake-shaped buildings on the southwestern shore of Lake Ramsey, just south of the city's downtown core, as well as a...
, an interactive science museum
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
which launched in 1984.
In the 1991 municipal elections, former mayor Jim Gordon sought a return to office, and Wong was defeated.
Regional chair
In the 1997 municipal electionsSudbury municipal election, 1997
The 1997 Sudbury municipal election was held on November 10, 1997, as voters in Sudbury and its outlying communities voted to elected mayors, councillors and school trustees...
, the provincial government reformed the structure of the regional municipality, making the position of regional council chair a generally elected position for the first time. The position had previously been filled by a vote within council. Wong stood as a candidate and won, becoming the municipality's first elected regional chair.
After serving less than a year in that office, Wong died of a heart attack on June 6, 1998 while attending a meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is a civic advocacy group representing many Canadian municipalities. It is an organization with no formal power but significant ability to influence debate and policy, as it is main national lobby group of mayors, councillors and other elected municipal...
. On June 8, tributes to Wong were delivered in 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...
by Rick Bartolucci
Rick Bartolucci
Rick Bartolucci is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He has represented Sudbury in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1995, and is a cabinet minister in the government of Dalton McGuinty...
and Shelley Martel
Shelley Martel
Shelley Dawn Marie Martel is a Canadian politician. A former member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, she represented the riding of Sudbury East from 1987 to 1999, and Nickel Belt from 1999 until 2007, as a New Democrat....
, and on June 10, a tribute was delivered in the House of Commons by Ray Bonin.