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Kenneth Hilton Black (March 11, 1932 – August 29, 2016) was a Canadian politician. He was a
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 ...
member in the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...
from 1987 to 1990, and represented the central Ontario riding of Muskoka–Georgian Bay. He served as a
cabinet minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ‘prime minister’, â ...
in the government of
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. Backgro ...
.


Background

Black was born in
Bracebridge, Ontario Bracebridge is a town and the seat of the Muskoka District Municipality in Ontario, Canada. The town was built around a waterfall on the Muskoka River in the centre of town, and is known for its other nearby waterfalls (Wilson's Falls, High Falls ...
and graduated from the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
in 1955. He was a secondary school teacher and principal from 1958 to 1980, and was superintendent of the Muskoka Board of Education from 1980 to 1987. He has also served as past president of Muskoka Children's Aid. He and his wife, Beth raised four children.


Politician

Black joined the Ontario Liberal Party in 1985. He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1987 provincial election defeating Progressive Conservative candidate George Beatty in Muskoka–Georgian Bay, a new riding created by redistribution. Previously the area was represented by the riding of Muskoka which had been held by former Progressive Conservative premier
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 (Marvel Comics ser ...
until 1987, and the PCs were historically the dominant party in the area. Black was considered a strong candidate, however, and his victory was not entirely unexpected. Black credited his victory to a strong campaign team, popular satisfaction with 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. Backgro ...
, and the fact that some local PCs were unhappy with party leader Larry Grossman. In August 1988, Peterson appointed Black as a one-man task force to review government and non-government programs against drug abuse. His report, issued in mid-October, recommended mandatory drug education starting in the early grades, drug treatment and education programs for offenders, increased training about drugs for social workers and health care workers, and the addition of about thirty-six officers to the provincial drug unit. Black criticized the "zero tolerance" approach of the American "
war on drugs The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...
", arguing that it was largely ineffective. After the report's release, Black was named special advisor to the premier on drugs with responsibility for co-ordinating and monitoring all government programs against drug abuse. In December 1988, he announced a pilot project for substance abuse counselling operated by the
YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
of Metropolitan Toronto. Black was promoted to the provincial cabinet on August 2, 1989, serving as Minister of Tourism and Recreation and also responsible for the provincial anti-drug strategy. He introduced a new provincial anti-drug strategy in November 1989 that fulfilled some of his previous recommendations, including the hiring of more police officers and the introduction of early education programs. It also allocated $4.5 million for community-based pilot projects against drug abuse. In June 1990, heannounced that this funding would be targeted to projects in nine communities. Black was critical of the federal Goods and Services Tax introduced by the government of
Brian Mulroney Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political sci ...
, arguing that it would put Ontario's tourism sector at risk of losing jobs and revenue. Tourism in Ontario declined in this period, due in large part to a continental economic downtown. Black travelled to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in December 1989 to support Toronto's bid to host
Expo 2000 Expo 2000 was a World Expo held in Hanover, Germany from 1 June to 31 October 2000. It was located on the Hanover Fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. Initially some 40 million people were expe ...
. Toronto lost the bid
Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
,
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
. Black's time in cabinet was brief. The Liberals suffered an upset loss to the
New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...
in the 1990 provincial election, and Black finished third in his bid for re-election. In 1991-92, he was chief organizer for
Charles Beer John Charles McWaters Beer (born November 24, 1941) is a Canadian former politician. He was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1987 to 1995, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson. Backgr ...
's unsuccessful bid to succeed Peterson as leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. He attempted to return to the provincial legislature in the 1995 election, but finished well behind Progressive Conservative candidate
Bill Grimmett William Lawrence Grimmett (born October 4, 1956) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 1999. Background Grimmett has a Bachelor of Arts degree f ...
.


Cabinet positions


Later life

Black later served as president of the Muskoka Heritage Foundation, and founded the Muskoka Watershed Council in 2001. He was appointed as a director of the Toront03 Alliance in July 2003. On August 29, 2016 he died from an undiagnosed case of acute leukemia at the South Muskoka Memorial Hospital in Bracebridge, Ontario.


Electoral record


References


Notes


Citations


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Ken 1932 births 2016 deaths Alumni of the University of Nottingham Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs University of Toronto alumni