Tony Van Bynen (born April 5, 1950) 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 elected to the

Canadian House of Commons The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicam ...

in the 2019 Canadian federal election. He represents the district of

Newmarket—Aurora Newmarket—Aurora is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. The district contains the towns of Newmarket, Aurora, and a very small portion of East Gwillimbury. ...

as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, and previously served as mayor of Newmarket,

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 ...

from 2006 to 2018.

Background

Born in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, Van Bynen immigrated to Canada in 1952 with his parents, and grew up on a family farm with five brothers and five sisters near

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

. He eventually moved to Newmarket in 1980 after relocating to work as a bank branch manager.

Municipal politics

He entered municipal politics in 2000 when he was elected as a town councillor, then was elected as a regional councillor in 2003 and subsequently as mayor in 2006, defeating his opponent Diane Springstein by 800 votes, a 4.6% margin. He was re-elected in the 2010 election, defeating his only challenger, Michael Cascione. He was again re-elected in 2014. Van Bynen did not stand for re-election in the 2018 municipal election.

Federal politics

In 2019, Van Bynen became 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 ...

candidate for the riding of

in the federal election of the same year. He was subsequently elected over former

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

Lois Brown Lois E. Brown (born 22 January 1955, in Stouffville, Ontario) is a Canadian businesswoman and politician. She served as the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Newmarket—Aurora from 2008 to 2015. Political career Brown is a former m ...

Community involvement

Van Bynen has volunteered at Southlake Hospital and the homeless shelter Inn From The Cold for over a decade with his wife, Roxanne. He also helped to create Belinda's Place, a facility that provides support for homeless and at-risk women in Newmarket. In 2013, Van Bynen received the

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (french: Médaille du jubilé de diamant de la reine Elizabeth II) or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

in recognition of his community service and leadership.

Honours

Electoral record

Federal

References

External links

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Tony Van Bynen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Bynen, Tony Mayors of Newmarket, Ontario Dutch emigrants to Canada Living people Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario 21st-century Canadian politicians 1950 births