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W. Donald Cousens (20 July 1938 – 23 February 2017) was a
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
in
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1994, and briefly served as a cabinet minister in the government of
Frank Miller Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on ''Daredevil'' and subsequen ...
. From 1994 to 2006, Cousens was the
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of
Markham, Ontario Markham () is a city in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest ...
.


Background

Cousens was educated at Queen's University and Knox College at the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
. An ordained
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
Minister (he served 1966 to 1968 in
Penetanguishene Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual (French and English) community has a populati ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
) and interim minister at St. Andrews Presbyterian, Markham. He was also an officer in the
Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Forc ...
(Commandant in the
Fort Henry Guard The Fort Henry Guard (FHG) is a historical interpretation and exhibition drill organization based at Fort Henry, a national historic site in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. It has recreated the British military tradition of a bygone era since its f ...
), he then served as an executive from 1967 to 1992 (firstly with Honeywell Ltd.) before entering political life, and later became a chair of the York Technology Association. From 1965 to 1967 he was a trustee for
Penetanguishene Penetanguishene , sometimes shortened to Penetang, is a town in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeasterly tip of Georgian Bay. Incorporated on February 22, 1882, this bilingual (French and English) community has a populati ...
. He was a member of the then York Region Board of Education from 1972 to 1979, eventually serving as chair in 1979. Cousens died in hospital on Thursday February 23, 2017 at aged 78.


Provincial politics

Cousens was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election, defeating
Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...
Alf Stong in the riding of
York Centre York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a m ...
. He served as a backbench supporter of
Bill Davis William Grenville Davis, (July 30, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was a Canadian politician who served as the 18th premier of Ontario from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the member of provincial Parliament for Peel in the 1959 provincia ...
's government for four years. Cousens initially supported
Dennis Timbrell Dennis Roy Timbrell (born November 13, 1946) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1971 to 1987, and was a Cabinet minister in the Progressive Conservative governments of Bill Davis and Frank M ...
to succeed Davis in the Progressive Conservative Party's 1985 leadership convention, but crossed over to Frank Miller on the last ballot. He was named
parliamentary assistant In UK politics, a parliamentary assistant is an unelected partisan member of staff employed by a Member of Parliament (MP) to assist them with their parliamentary duties. Parliamentary assistants usually work at the House of Commons in the ...
to the Minister of Citizenship and Culture on February 25, 1985, shortly after Miller was sworn in as Premier of Ontario. Cousens was re-elected in the 1985 provincial election, but the Progressive Conservatives were reduced to an unstable minority government. He was appointed Minister of Correctional Services on May 17, but accomplished little of consequence before the Miller government was defeated in the house in June. Along with other members of the
Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...
caucus, he moved to the opposition benches as Liberal leader
David Peterson David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty. Backgr ...
became Premier. The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to only 16 seats in the 1987 provincial election. Cousens defeated Liberal candidate Gail Newall by fewer than 1,000 votes in the new riding of
Markham Markham may refer to: It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873. Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * ...
. In the 1990 provincial elections, Cousens scored a victory over Liberal
Frank Scarpitti Frank Scarpitti is the mayor of the city of Markham, Ontario, Canada. Early life Scarpitti was born in Ontario in 1960. He is the son of Italian immigrants, Lucia and Antonio. He is married to Nancy Scarpitti, and has three children. He ran f ...
, winning by more than 10,000 votes. The Progressive Conservatives as a whole managed only a modest recovery, however, increased their caucus size from sixteen to twenty. He served as his party's critic for Environment, Finance, and Citizenship, Race Relations and Human Rights at various times in next parliament. Interviewed by the CBC in 1988, he spoke against voting rights for people who lived in mental health facilities. He criticized Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP)
John Sola Domagoj Ivan "John" Šola (born April 15, 1944) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1995. Originally a Liberal, he was forced to leave his party over controversy ...
in 1991, after Sola made comments about Canadian Serbs that were generally regarded as racist. Sola was later expelled from the Liberal Party. Cousens once brought forward a private member's bill to outlaw smoking in public places. A
Red Tory A Red Tory is an adherent of a centre to centre-right or paternalistic-conservative political philosophy derived from the Tory tradition, most predominantly in Canada but also in the United Kingdom and Australia. This philosophy tends to fa ...
by inclination, Cousens played little role in the party's drift to the right under
Mike Harris Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time ...
. He resigned his seat in the legislature on September 30, 1994 to campaign for mayor of Markham.


Cabinet positions


Municipal politics

Markham is considered a diverse community with a thriving economy, and grew significantly under Cousens's watch. During that time, the town was debt free and gained many jobs in the software field. Unlike Mike Harris's provincial government, Cousens was a supporter of photo radar to discourage speeding in the Greater Toronto Area. There is a Don Cousens Charitable Foundation within Markham. In 2003, he was award a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. On June 1, 2006 Cousens announced that he would not seek re-election as Mayor of Markham due to on-going health problems related to the need for a
kidney transplant Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantati ...
.
Donald Cousens Parkway Donald Cousens Parkway or York Regional Road 48, also referred to historically as the Markham Bypass or Markham Bypass Extension, is a regionally maintained arterial bypass of Markham in the Canadian province of Ontario. Named for former M ...
in Markham is named after him. There is also a public school in Markham, Donald Cousens Public School, named after him.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cousens, Don 1938 births 2017 deaths Canadian people of Danish descent Mayors of Markham, Ontario Members of the Executive Council of Ontario People from the United Counties of Prescott and Russell Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs University of Toronto alumni