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Dwight Ball (born December 21, 1957) is a
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
politician who was the 13th
premier of Newfoundland and Labrador The premier of Newfoundland and Labrador is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Since 1949, the premier's duties and office has been the successor to the ministerial position of the pri ...
from December 14, 2015, to August 19, 2020, and an MHA. He represented the
electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
of Humber Valley in the
Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is the Unicameralism, unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Build ...
, and was the leader of the Liberal Party from November 17, 2013 to August 3, 2020. On January 3, 2012, Ball began his duties as Leader of the Official Opposition and interim leader of the Liberal Party. On July 5, 2013, Ball stepped down as interim leader of the Liberal Party to run for the position permanently in the 2013 leadership election, which he won. He was sworn in on December 14, 2015. On November 30, 2015, Ball won a 31-seat majority government in the 2015 election. The Ball government was re-elected to a minority government in
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
. On February 17, 2020, Ball announced his pending resignation. Following a virtual convention on August 3 -- held in part due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
-- Ball was succeeded by
Andrew Furey Andrew John Furey (born July 1975) is a Canadian politician and surgeon who has served as the 14th premier of Newfoundland and Labrador since August 19, 2020. A member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party, Furey represents Humber-Gros ...
, who assumed the premiership on August 19, 2020.


Early life and career

Dwight Ball was raised in
Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador Deer Lake is a town in the western part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The town derives its name from Deer Lake and is situated at the outlet of the upper Humber River at the northeastern en ...
, and graduated from Elwood Regional High School. He attended
Memorial University Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...
when he was 17 years old. His younger brother is Deer Lake's mayor Dean Ball. Ball was the recipient of the
Bowl of Hygeia Award A bowl is a typically round dish or container generally used for preparing, serving, or consuming food. The interior of a bowl is characteristically shaped like a spherical cap, with the edges and the bottom forming a seamless curve. This make ...
for his work as a community pharmacist that began with his franchising of the Deer Lake Pharmacy. Ball later bought a community pharmacy in Springdale. Ball is also the owner of several senior care homes and is involved in real estate development and venture capital investments. The towns of Deer Lake and Springdale have independently both named Ball as Employer of the Year for his contributions to supportive employment programs in the area.


Politics

Ball was the Liberal candidate in the district of Humber Valley in the 2003 provincial election, but was defeated by Progressive Conservative candidate
Kathy Goudie Kathy Goudie is a former Canadian politician, who represented the electoral district of Humber Valley in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is the unicameral deliberative assembl ...
by less than 200 votes. When Goudie resigned from the legislature, Ball ran in a by-election to succeed her on February 13, 2007. At first, it was announced that Progressive Conservative candidate
Darryl Kelly Darryl Kelly (d. 2019) was a Canadian politician. He represented the riding of Humber Valley in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 2007 to 2011 as a member of the Progressive Conservatives. Kelly stood as the Progressive C ...
had won the by-election by a margin of twelve votes; however, Ball was later declared elected by a margin of 18 votes. A judicial recount was conducted weeks later and resulted in a reduction of Ball's lead to seven votes. In a rematch in the
general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...
on October 9, 2007, Kelly defeated Ball by 254 votes. Four years later Ball once again ran as the Liberal candidate in the 2011 election and this time narrowly defeated Kelly by 68 votes.


Leadership

At a press conference on December 15, 2011, the Liberal Party announced that Ball would serve as interim leader of the party and as the Leader of the Official Opposition, effective January 3, 2012. He succeeds
Kevin Aylward Kevin Aylward (born August 24, 1960) is a Canadian businessman and former politician in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He has served as leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador from August 14, 2011 until January 3, 2012. Aylwa ...
, who failed to win a seat in the general election, as leader of the Liberal Party and
Yvonne Jones Yvonne Jean Jones (born March 15, 1968) is a Canadian politician in Newfoundland and Labrador, who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election on May 13, 2013. She represents the district of Labrador as a member of the Liberal ...
as the Official Opposition Leader. Ball announced on the same day that he planned to run for the permanent leadership of the party at the next leadership convention, and that he would step down as interim leader 90 days before the convention to even the playing field for other candidates. In May 2012, the party announced the leadership convention would take place from November 15–17, 2013. On July 5, 2013, Ball stepped down as interim leader of the Liberal Party to run for the position permanently in the leadership election that November, which he won with 59% of the vote on the 3rd ballot. Ball served as leader for the party in the 2015 general election.


Premiership (2015–2020)

Ball was sworn in as Premier on December 14, 2015, after leading the Liberal Party to win 31 of 40 seats in the House of Assembly in the election in November. Despite consistent Progressive Conservative leads in polling through the debate, including a 9-point lead in the final poll, released a day before the election, The
Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
led by Dwight Ball won re-election in the 2019 provincial election, but nonetheless fell one seat short of retaining their majority after an unexpected loss to the
New Democrats New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as culturall ...
in
Labrador West Labrador West (2013 pop.: 10,319) refers to a region in western Labrador in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador containing the twin towns of Labrador City and Wabush. The area is located in the southwest corner of Labrador, near the ...
by 5 votes. On February 17, 2020, Premier Ball announced his resignation as Premier and Leader of the Liberal Party. On August 3, 2020,
Andrew Furey Andrew John Furey (born July 1975) is a Canadian politician and surgeon who has served as the 14th premier of Newfoundland and Labrador since August 19, 2020. A member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party, Furey represents Humber-Gros ...
was chosen to succeed Ball after winning the provincial Liberal leadership race.


Minister of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs

Ball took over the post of Minister of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs from PC Keith Russell after the election in 2015. This decision was somewhat controversial as none of the Aboriginal MHAs from Labrador were appointed to Ball's cabinet and Ball was neither from Labrador or an Aboriginal, however, the move was supported by
NunatuKavut NunatuKavut ( iu, italic=no, ᓄᓇᑐᑲᕗᑦ) is an unrecognized Inuit territory in Labrador. The NunatuKavut people (previously called Inuit-Metis or Labrador Metis) are the direct descendants of the Inuit that lived south of the Churchil ...
president and former
Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...
MP
Todd Russell Todd Norman Dwayne Russell (born December 22, 1966) is a Canadian politician and was the Liberal member of Parliament for the riding of Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador from 2005 to 2011. Early life Russell was born in St. Anthony, Newfou ...
.


Inquiries

In December 2015, it was announced that public inquiries into the deaths of Don Dunphy (a man from Mitchells Brook who was shot dead by a police officer after posting content on Twitter that was deemed a "security threat".) and Burton Winters (a teenager from
Makkovik Makkovik (Inuit: ''Maggovik'') is a town in Labrador in eastern Canada. It had 365 residents in 2021. The main industry is snow crabbing and there is a fishing cooperative. Makkovik is only accessible by air or sea. History The Makkovik area has ...
who got lost by himself outside of his community and died of hypothermia while a search helicopter did not arrive until 52 hours later.) would take place. The Dunphy inquiry took place during Ball's term; however the Winters inquiry did not. In 2017, Premier Ball called a public inquiry into the Muskrat Falls project which took place between 2018 and 2020. In the inquiry report Commissioner Richard LeBlanc concluded the government failed its duty to residents by predetermining that the megaproject would proceed no matter what. In his report, LeBlanc concluded that the business case, which assumed the Muskrat Falls project was the lowest-cost power option, was “questionable.” LeBlanc stated that the project’s economics were not sufficiently tested and that
Nalcor Nalcor Energy is a provincial energy corporation which is headquartered in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. A provincial Crown corporation under the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nalcor Energy was created in 2007 to manage the pro ...
failed to consider all potentially viable power options. LeBlanc stated that
Nalcor Nalcor Energy is a provincial energy corporation which is headquartered in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. A provincial Crown corporation under the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nalcor Energy was created in 2007 to manage the pro ...
concealed information that could have undermined the business case for the project from the public and government.


2016-17 budget

The provincial government unveiled its budget in April 2016 which implemented austerity measures. Ball and Minister of Finance
Cathy Bennett Cathy Bennett is a Canadian businesswomen and politician in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. She represented the electoral district of Virginia Waters in the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly from 2014 to 2018. Bennett was first elec ...
do not expect the province to see another surplus until 2022.
Anti-austerity protests The anti-austerity movement refers to the mobilisation of street protests and grassroots campaigns that has happened across various countries, especially in Europe, since the onset of the worldwide Great Recession. Anti- austerity actions are ...
took place across the province in areas like St. John's, Corner Brook, Grand Falls-Windsor and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.


Natural resources


Ed Martin scandal

In early 2016,
Nalcor Energy Nalcor Energy is a provincial energy corporation which is headquartered in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. A provincial Crown corporation under the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nalcor Energy ...
CEO Ed Martin left the company. Ball and Martin each claim that Martin left under conflicting circumstances.


Lower Churchill Project

The cost of the
Lower Churchill Project The Lower Churchill Project is an ongoing hydroelectric project in the Labrador region of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, to develop the remaining 35 per cent of the Churchill River that was not developed by the Churchill Falls Generating Stat ...
has doubled since it started development nearly a decade before Ball took office. The province's financial situation was different when the project started development, the
price of oil The price of oil, or the oil price, generally refers to the spot price of a barrel () of benchmark crude oil—a reference price for buyers and sellers of crude oil such as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), Brent Crude, Dubai Crude, OPEC Ref ...
was high (
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
is an oil-producing province), however, the price of oil and the value of the
Canadian dollar The Canadian dollar ( symbol: $; code: CAD; french: dollar canadien) is the currency of Canada. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, there is no standard disambiguating form, but the abbreviation Can$ is often suggested by notable style ...
has gone down since. Ball has blamed the governments of Danny Williams and
Kathy Dunderdale Kathleen Mary Margaret "Kathy" Dunderdale (née Warren; born February 1952) is a politician and former MHA who served as the tenth premier of Newfoundland and Labrador from December 3, 2010, to January 24, 2014. Dunderdale was born and raised in ...
for the number of problems that the project has caused. In 2016, researchers from
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
found that
methylmercury Methylmercury (sometimes methyl mercury) is an organometallic cation with the formula . It is the simplest organomercury compound. Methylmercury is extremely toxic, and its derivatives are the major source of organic mercury for humans. It is a ...
levels in fish would rise as a result of the project. After protests led by Indigenous groups in Central Labrador in 2016, an Agreement was reached by Labrador’s three Indigenous groups (
Nunatsiavut Nunatsiavut (; iu, italics=no, ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕗᑦ) is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous area claimed by the Inuit in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The settlement area includes territory in Labrador extending to the Quebe ...
Government,
Innu Nation The Innu / Ilnu ("man", "person") or Innut / Innuat / Ilnuatsh ("people"), formerly called Montagnais from the French colonial period ( French for "mountain people", English pronunciation: ), are the Indigenous inhabitants of territory in the ...
and the
NunatuKavut NunatuKavut ( iu, italic=no, ᓄᓇᑐᑲᕗᑦ) is an unrecognized Inuit territory in Labrador. The NunatuKavut people (previously called Inuit-Metis or Labrador Metis) are the direct descendants of the Inuit that lived south of the Churchil ...
Community Council) and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador outlining the establishment of an independent committee to make recommendations on mitigating potential impacts of methylmercury on human health from the Lower Churchill Project at Muskrat Falls, Labrador. In 2018, the committee recommended — among other things — wetland capping to stem the release of
methylmercury Methylmercury (sometimes methyl mercury) is an organometallic cation with the formula . It is the simplest organomercury compound. Methylmercury is extremely toxic, and its derivatives are the major source of organic mercury for humans. It is a ...
. During the Muskrat Falls inquiry in 2019, it was revealed the provincial government wouldn’t be completing
wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
capping Capping may refer to: * the creation of five-prime (5') caps in a cell nucleus ** Capping enzyme * Capping in sport, making an appearance in a game at international level *Ambulance chasing, the practice of lawyers seeking clients at a disaster ...
at the Muskrat Falls reservoir as previously planned. The $30 million designated for the capping was split up and offered to all three Indigenous governments with the
Innu Nation The Innu / Ilnu ("man", "person") or Innut / Innuat / Ilnuatsh ("people"), formerly called Montagnais from the French colonial period ( French for "mountain people", English pronunciation: ), are the Indigenous inhabitants of territory in the ...
and
NunatuKavut NunatuKavut ( iu, italic=no, ᓄᓇᑐᑲᕗᑦ) is an unrecognized Inuit territory in Labrador. The NunatuKavut people (previously called Inuit-Metis or Labrador Metis) are the direct descendants of the Inuit that lived south of the Churchil ...
accepting. Nalcor had applied for a permit in July 2018 to carry out the approximately 13 hectares of wetland capping — essentially pouring sand and stone over a small area of wetland near the reservoir — but the permit was never approved by the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment. Ball later said wetland capping would have only decreased methylmercury levels by two per cent.


Popularity

During the 2015 election campaign Ball's Liberals usually saw public approval ratings well over 50%. His party earned 57.2% of the votes in the election. In February 2016, a poll showed that 60% of respondents approved of Ball's work as premier. The 2016-17 budget had a huge impact on Ball's public approval. A poll from MQO Research in April 2016 showed a near tie in support for all 3 parties, a huge difference from a few months earlier when Ball's liberals had far more support than the other 2 parties. Combined with the scandal involving Ed Martin, Ball's public support has dropped at a fast rate since the election. A poll in May 2016 showed that Ball was the least popular head of government in the country with a 17% approval rating. The second lowest score was Ontario's
Kathleen Wynne Kathleen O'Day Wynne ( ; born May 21, 1953) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 25th premier of Ontario and leader of the Ontario Liberal Party from 2013 to 2018. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2003 and sat as the ...
with 24%. An online petition calling for Ball's resignation went viral in June 2016, but Ball has stated that he will not resign and he also stated that the province would not go bankrupt. On June 16, 2018, delegates at the Liberal Party Annual General Meeting vote to endorse the leadership of Ball with 79% voting against the party holding a leadership convention.


Resignation

On February 17, 2020, Ball announced his pending resignation as leader of the Liberal Party and Premier amidst accusations of cronyism. The decision came after
CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...
linked Ball to awarding the sole-source contract for the Crown corporation
Nalcor Energy Nalcor Energy is a provincial energy corporation which is headquartered in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. A provincial Crown corporation under the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nalcor Energy ...
to Gordon McIntosh, former Deputy of Natural Resources Minister
Siobhan Coady Siobhán is a female given name of Irish origin. The most common anglicisations are Siobhan (identical to the Irish spelling but omitting the acute accent over the 'a'), Shevaun and Shivaun. A now uncommon spelling variant is Siubhán. It is de ...
and the designer of Newfoundland and Labrador's off-shore energy plan. The Liberal Party initially planned to elect a new leader in May 2020; however, the election was delayed by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. In the 2020 Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election, surgeon
Andrew Furey Andrew John Furey (born July 1975) is a Canadian politician and surgeon who has served as the 14th premier of Newfoundland and Labrador since August 19, 2020. A member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party, Furey represents Humber-Gros ...
was chosen as Ball's successor. Furey was sworn-in on August 19, 2020. On September 7, 2020 Ball resigned as MHA for Humber-Gros Morne.


Electoral record

, -Dwight Ball , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - Newfoundland & Labrador Votes 2003
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...
. Retrieved 22 May 2003.


References


External links


Dwight Ball
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Dwight 1957 births Canadian pharmacists Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Living people Premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador Members of the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador People from Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador 21st-century Canadian politicians