Ray Twinney (November 1935 - 24 December 1994) is the former mayor of

Newmarket, Ontario Newmarket ( 2021 population: 87,942) is a town and regional seat of the Regional Municipality of York in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of Greater Toronto in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The name stems from the ...

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from 1979 to 1994. Ray Twinney was married to Thelma and fathered two sons. The Newmarket Recreation Complex, officially opened on November 3, 1985, was renamed The Ray Twinney Recreation Complex after Twinney's death. According to the

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of 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 ...

: "Twinney arrived in Newmarket in 1960, entering politics in

East Gwillimbury East Gwillimbury is a town (lower-tier municipality) on the East Holland River in the upper-tier municipality the Regional Municipality of York. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area of southern Ontario, in Canada. It was formed by the amalgam ...

in 1965. In 1970 Twinney was elected to Newmarket town council as a regional councillor, serving in that capacity until 1978. In 1979 he was elected mayor of Newmarket and has been returned as mayor each successive council term to the present, making him Newmarket's longest-serving mayor to date, a total of over 15 years." Twinney was a councillor in East Gwillimbury in the late 1960s, and resided in the southwest portion of the township that became part of Newmarket upon the creation of the

Regional Municipality of York The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional M ...

in 1971. Being fond of local organized sport, Ray Twinney owned or co-owned and operated many successful local teams, including the Newmarket Ray's Fastball, Legion Ray's Oldtimers Hockey and the

Newmarket Flyers The Newmarket Hurricanes were a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Newmarket, Ontario. They played in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. The franchise existed from 1972 until 2019, based in Newmarket starting in 1975. History In 1972, the Seneca Fly ...

Junior Hockey teams. In 1988 the dream of a professional-class community recreation centre became a reality under his mayoral leadership. Newmarket's recreation complex, designed by local architect, Fraser Milne, was constructed, becoming the venue for many local sporting events, including AHL and

OHL OHL or Ohl may refer to: Initialisms *Latvian Hockey Higher League, known in Latvian as the ''Optibet hokeja līga'' *Oberste Heeresleitung, the Supreme Army Command of Germany in World War I *Obrascón Huarte Lain, a Spanish construction company * ...

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." Towards the end of Twinney's tenure, questions were raised about some of his business activities in Newmarket, which culminated in a

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investigation of them. Grounds were found for laying several charges. However, the trial never took place, as by this time, Twinney had been stricken with terminal

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. He died shortly afterwards. One of Twinney's sons had also died of cancer that same year. In 2013 Albert DoCouto pleaded guilty to securities fraud dating back to 2007. Mr DoCouto was once linked to Mayor Twinney after he was charged in May 1993 with breach of trust and offering a secret commission.

References

1935 births 1994 deaths Canadian people of English descent Mayors of Newmarket, Ontario {{Ontario-mayor-stub