Ted McMeekin

Hon. Ted McMeekin
MPP for Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Aldershot (2000-2007)
Incumbent
Assumed office September 7, 2000
Preceded by	Toni Skarica
Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office October 20, 2011
Preceded by	Carol Mitchell
Minister of Consumer Services
In office June 24, 2009 – January 18, 2010
Preceded by	Harinder Takhar
Succeeded by	Sophia Aggelonitis
Personal details
Political party	Liberal
Residence	Waterdown, Ontario

Ted McMeekin (born about 1948) is a politician residing in Flamborough, Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale for the Ontario Liberal Party. McMeekin previously served as the Minister of Consumer Services, and Minister of Government Services in the in the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty. Ted McMeekin is the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Training Colleges and Universities.

McMeekin holds a Master's Degree in social work from Wilfrid Laurier University. He has served as executive director of the Burlington Social Planning Council, and was for a time the chair of part-time studies at Mohawk College (where he also taught courses). He has also worked on social justice issues for the United Church of Canada, and was the owner and operator of a small bookstore for eight years.

Before entering provincial politics, McMeekin was a member of the Hamilton, Ontario City Council representing Ward 7 (Hamilton Mountain). After retiring from Council, he moved to Flamborough, Ontario, a rural community which lies on the outskirts of Hamilton, and later served a term of six years as mayor. McMeekin was also for a number of years Flamborough's representative on the Hamilton-Wentworth regional council, which the provincial government of Mike Harris eliminated in 2000 by amalgamating the city and outlying regions into a single political entity. McMeekin was one of the most vocal opponents of this change, noting that it would result in a loss of autonomy for Flamborough.

2000 by-election

McMeekin's plans to jump from municipal to provincial politics had been rumoured for years, and it came as no surprise when he won the Liberal nomination for a by-election to be held in ADFA on September 7, 2000 (called following the resignation of Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Toni Skarica, another vocal opponent of the amalgamation scheme). Although the seat had gone overwhelmingly for the Progressive Conservatives the previous year, McMeekin managed to defeat PC candidate Priscilla de Villiers by over 9,000 votes. The Conservatives had spent $211,989 on his competitor, nearly $80,000 in excess of McMeekin's $132,143. Local opposition to amalgamation was generally cited as the reason for this shift.

2003 provincial election

In the provincial election of 2003, McMeekin defeated Tory candidate Mark Mullins by a somewhat reduced margin. He served as parliamentary assistant to John Gerretsen in his capacity as the Minister responsible for Seniors from October 23, 2003 to September 27, 2004. On September 27, 2004, he was appointed assistant to Jim Watson, the Ministry of Consumer and Business Services.

2007 provincial election

In the provincial election of 2007, McMeekin is running against Progressive Conservative candidate Chris Corrigan. On October 30, 2007, McMeekin was named a cabinet minister, responsible for Government and Consumer Services.

Electoral record

Ontario general election, 2007
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Ted McMeekin	20,525	41.5
	Progressive Conservative	Chris Corrigan	17,219	34.8
	New Democrat	Juanita Maldonado	6,542	13.2
	Green	David Januczkowski	4,243	8.6
	Family Coalition	Jim Enos	501	1.0
	Independent	Martin Zaliniak	219	0.4
	Confederation of Regions	Eileen Butson	129	0.3
	Libertarian	Sam Zaslavsky	65	0.1

Ontario general election, 2003
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	+/- (1999)	+/- (2000)
	Liberal	Ted McMeekin	23,045	47.5	+14.0	-12.1
	Progressive Conservative	Mark Mullins	18,141	37.4	-20.7	+6.9
	New Democrat	Kelly Hayes	5,666	11.7	+2.3	+4.8
	Green	Brian Elder Sullivan	903	1.9	-	-0.8
	Family Coalition	Michael Trolly	434	0.9	-	-
	Confederation of Regions	Richard Butson	293	0.6	-	-

By-election: February 7, 2000
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	+/-
	Liberal	Ted McMeekin	19,916	59.6	+26.1
	Progressive Conservative	Priscilla De Villiers	10,201	30.5	-27.6
	New Democrat	Jessica Brennan	2,297	6.7	-1.5
	Green	Mark Coakley	1,405	4.14	-
	Independent	John C. Turmel	80	0.2	-

External links

• Ted McMeekin's official MPP Site
• Ted McMeekin's Ontario Liberal Party biography
• Ontario Legislative Assembly Parliamentarian History