Bill 65, passed on May 10, 2000 during the 37th Session, founded the Ontario Association of Former OAFP Parliamentarians. It was the first bill in Ontario history to be introduced by a Legislative Committee. The Ontario Association of Former Parliamentarians Year in Review - 2015 page 1|InFormer Year In Review 2015 Bill 65, passed on May 10, 2000 during the 37th Session, founded the Ontario Association of Former OAFP Parliamentarians. It was the first bill in Ontario history to be introduced by a Legislative Committee. Our Colleagues Who Passed Away in 2015 They served their constituents, their Party and their Province Eric Gordon Cunningham (April 14, 1949 – January 1, 2015) Liberal, Wentworth North 1975 – 1984 Wayne Wettlaufer (December 16, 1943 – June 21, 2015) Progressive Conservative, Kitchener Centre 1995 – 2003 Keith Brown (November 7, 1926 – July 7, 2015) Progressive Conserva- tive, Peterborough 1959 – 1967 Robert TS Frankford (August 1, 1939 – August 1, 2015) New Demo- crat, Scarborough East 1990-1995 Joan Fawcett (April 19, 1937 – August 16, 2015) Liberal, Northumber- land 1987-1995 Derwyn Shea (September 1, 1937 – August 15, 2015) Progressive Conservative High Park - Swansea 1995-1999 Hugh O’Neil (July 10, 1936 – September 14, 2015) Liberal, Quinte 1975-1995 John Ferris (January 29, 1933 - September 27, 2015) Liberal, London South 1975-1977 William Leo Jordan (December 29, 1929 – February 15, 2015) Progres- sive Conservative, Lanark – Renfrew 1990 - 1999 Year In Review 2015 page 2|InFormer Bill 65, passed on May 10, 2000 during the 37th Session, founded the Ontario Association of Former OAFP Parliamentarians. It was the first bill in Ontario history to be introduced by a Legislative Committee. Table of Contents 1. Celebrating 15th year of O.A.F.P. …pg. 4 2. Anniversaries…pg.5 3. Passing of the founder of our Association…pg.6 4. Overview of the Remarkable Women Parliamentarian series…pg.9 5. AGM with guest speaker Steve Paikin…pg.10 6. Christmas social…pg.12 7. Meeting the new Lieutenant Governor…pg.13 8. Interview with David Peterson...pg. 14 9. Distinguished Service Award…pg. 19 10. Report by the Chair…pg.20 11. Report on Finance…pg.22 12. Report on Membership…pg.22 13. Report from Editorial…pg.24 14. MPPs who published in 2015…pg.26 15. Order of Canada and Order of Ontario recipients…pg.31 16. Queen’s Park to Campus program…pg.32 17. Notice: Annual General Meeting! ...pg.34 18.Contact…pg.35 Editorial: David Warner (Chair), Lily Oddie, Steve Gilchrist, Lauren Malyk and Ramisha Farooq. With gratitude to the following who have greatly contributed to this publication—The Speaker of the Ontario Legislature Dave Levac, Clerk Deb Deller and Assembly Photographer Nokomis O’Brien. page 3|InFormer Year In Review 2015 Bill 65, passed on May 10, 2000 during the 37th Session, founded the Ontario Association of Former OAFP Parliamentarians. It was the first bill in Ontario history to be introduced by a Legislative Committee. The Ontario Association of Former Parliamentarians 15th Anniversary This year is our 15th anniversary! Vision and commitment has made it possible to foster a non-partisan approach to achieving enhanced benefits for former Members of the Ontario Legislature and to become engaged in an educational effort, putting your experience and knowl- edge to good use. With this in mind, our organization promises to continue to represent and promote your interests. As we celebrate our achievements over the years we look forward to brighter horizons. To those who had the vision to establish our organization we say “Thank You!” And, with the continued support of our membership we will accomplish much more. Year In Review 2015 page 4|InFormer Bill 65, passed on May 10, 2000 during the 37th Session, founded the Ontario Association of Former OAFP Parliamentarians. It was the first bill in Ontario history to be introduced by a Legislative Committee. Anniversaries in 2015 Ontario • 400th anniversary of French explorer Samuel de Champlain’s passage through Ontario. • 100 years of 4 H Ontario • 100th anniversary of the writing of In Flanders Fields and the Second Battle of Ypres. This iconic poem was written on May 3, 1915 by Lieutenant-Colo- nel John McCrae during the Second Battle of Ypres — the first time gas was used in modern warfare. Canada • Bicentennial of Sir John A. Macdonald’s birth • 50th Anniversary of the National Flag of Canada World • Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s Release from Prison, February 11, 1990 • Octocentennial of the Magna Carta, June 15, 1215 • Centennial of the Sinking of the Lusitania, May 7, 1915 • Bicentennial of the Battle of Waterloo, June 18, 1815 • Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the Battle of Britain, July 10, 1940 Anniversary of the world’s first restaurant, France – 1765. Monsieur Boulanger opened the world’s first restaurant near the Louvre in Paris. His aim was to sell cus- tomers ‘restorative’ dishes to improve their health. The term ‘restaurant’ comes from the French ‘restorer’, to restore. • American Civil War ended 150 years ago • The Lord of the Rings turns 60 • Cunard celebrates 175 yearsIt was back in 1840 that Samuel Cunard be- gan operating the first scheduled UK–North America boat service, kick-start- ing the age of the ocean liner. The Britannia was the first ship to make the crossing, sailing from Liverpool on 4 July and arriving in Halifax Canada, 12 days later. • Ketel One Distillery – Shiedam, Netherlands (premium vodka) celebrates 325th Anniversary • Laphroaig Distillery - Isle of Islay, Scotland (single malt scotch) has its 200th Anniversary • 50th Anniversary of America’s First Craft Beer, Anchor Steam Beer, San Francisco • 50th anniversary of Naramata Bench Wineries – Penticton area, British Co- lumbia page 5|InFormer Year In Review 2015 Bill 65, passed on May 10, 2000 during the 37th Session, founded the Ontario Association of Former OAFP Parliamentarians. It was the first bill in Ontario history to be introduced by a Legislative Committee. The Life and Times of Rev. Canon Shea It is difficult to try and distill, into a few paragraphs, the life and times of someone as noteworthy as our good friend and colleague, Rev. Canon Derwyn Shea. Not only was he someone who spent his entire adult life in service to others, but he was the driving force – in fact, the very original – behind the work that led to the formation of the Ontario Association of Former Par- liamentarians and, until his passing, the Chair of our organization. Derwyn, at his heart, was a pastor. At the start and the end of his working career, after service in the military, he earned increasingly senior roles within the Anglican Church, and, interspersed with his clerical career, he was a community leader who served in a long list of political roles. His religious calling began in 1966 when he was ordained as an Anglican priest. His assignments took him to some very challenging locations in northern Saskatchewan, Algoma and, finally, back to Toronto. He was the first Canadian to receive a fellowship from the Academy of Parish Clergy and he received increasingly senior postings, first at St. Clement’s parish, in Riverdale, and, lastly, at St. Hilda’s. In his final post, he was also responsible for the management of a large home for the aged, and he demon- strated great managerial skills – as well as an ability to get governments, of all stripes, to open up their wallets to help the seniors in his care. His passion for public service was also manifested in a political career starting with a ten year term, from 1972-1982, on the Toronto Planning Board, including four years as its Chair. In 1985, he was elected as the senior Alderman in Toronto’s Ward 1 and he served in that role until 1994. As a Councillor, his favourite assignment was as the Chair of the Canadian National Exhibition, but he also served as the Chair of the O’Keefe Centre and on the Boards of the Toronto Hydro,Toronto General, Toronto Western, Princess Margaret and Runnymede Chronic Care, Variety Club, Eastview Neighbourhood Association and many other community groups. Year In Review 2015 page 6|InFormer Bill 65, passed on May 10, 2000 during the 37th Session, founded the Ontario Association of Former OAFP Parliamentarians. It was the first bill in Ontario history to be introduced by a Legislative Committee. In 1995, Derwyn was elected as the MPP for High Park-Swansea, defeating the future Mayor of Toronto, David Miller. As an MPP, Derwyn served as Parliamentary Assistant first to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and then the Minister of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation. He was a tireless champion for a variety of causes, including the reform of municipal government and controlling the spread of gambling in the prov- ince. One of his most fervent goals was actually realized one year after he retired from pro- vincial politics. Derwyn had been deeply concerned by the circumstances of the death of another former MPP, Hans Daigeler, who committed suicide after losing in the 1995 election. Derwyn recognized that there were no supports for politicians who had difficul- ties adjusting back in the private sector. He believed that, regardless of party affiliation, the work of all MPP’s should be respected and their experiences put to better use, after they left Queen’s Park. Derwyn formed a group of MPP’s and they crafted what became the Ontario Association of Former Parliamentarians Act, 2000 – the legislation that gave rise to our organization. It was only fitting that this Bill was the first Bill written by a committee, with unanimous support from the PC, Liberal and NDP members.