Neil Erland Byers (December 7, 1928 – July 3, 2020) was a Canadian educator and political figure in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. He represented Kelvington from 1969 to 1975 and Kelvington-Wadena from 1975 to 1982 in the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

as a

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 ...

(NDP) member. He was born in Fertile, Saskatchewan, the son of Newton Byers and Kathleen McDonald, and was educated there, in Frobisher, at the Moose Jaw Normal School and at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, where he received a

BEd A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many beds ...

. Byers worked as a teacher with the

Department of Indian Affairs Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

and taught school at

Foam Lake Foam Lake is a town in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. It had a population of 1,123 in 2006. It is located in a mixed agricultural area approximately 220 km south-east of Saskatoon on the Yellowhead Highway. Foam Lake, the lake for ...

. He also worked seven years for the Co-operative Hail Insurance Company of Saskatchewan as a hail adjuster. In 1952, he married Margaret Engelke. Byers ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the provincial assembly in 1964 and 1967 before being elected in a 1969 by-election held after the results of the 1967 election were declared invalid. He served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Highways and Transportation, as Minister of Telephones, as Minister of the Environment, as Minister of Co-operation and Co-operative Development and as Minister of Northern Saskatchewan. Byers resigned his cabinet post in 1979. He was defeated by Sherwin Petersen when he ran for reelection to the Saskatchewan assembly in 1982. He later lived in Regina, and died on July 3, 2020.

References

1928 births 2020 deaths Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MLAs Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan {{Saskatchewan-politician-stub