Al McDonald
Encyclopedia
Al McDonald is a politician in Ontario
, Canada
, currently the mayor of North Bay
, Ontario
. He was previously a Progressive Conservative
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 2002 to 2003, and ran unsuccessfully for the Conservative Party of Canada
in the 2004 federal election
.
McDonald was politically active on North Bay City Council
before entering provincial politics, serving as the deputy mayor
of that city for a time. He also served on the North Bay Economic Development Commission, the North Bay Police Services Board, and other local programs.
When former Premier
Mike Harris
resigned as the member for Nipissing
in early 2002, McDonald won the Progressive Conservative nomination to replace him. In a by-election
held on May 2, 2002, he defeated Liberal
candidate George Maroosis by 19 votes, as confirmed by a recount. Despite being one of the few Tory Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) from Northern Ontario, McDonald was not given a place in the cabinet
of Ernie Eves
.
His tenure in office was brief. The Liberals won a majority government in the provincial election of 2003
, and McDonald lost his seat to Liberal candidate Monique Smith
by about 3,000 votes.
In the federal election of 2004, McDonald ran for the Conservatives in the redistributed riding of Nipissing—Timiskaming
, but lost to Liberal
Anthony Rota
by over 2,000 votes.
On August 26, 2010 McDonald announced his intention to run for mayor
of North Bay in the 2010 municipal election
. He won 87 per cent of the vote on election day over challengers Valerie Chadbourne and Harvey Villneff.
|-
|Monique Smith
|align="right"|18,003
|align="right"|49.84
|align="right"|+6.70
|-
|Al McDonald
|align="right"|14,978
|align="right"|41.47
|align="right"|-8.95
|-
|Terry O'Connor
|align="right"|2,613
|align="right"|7.23
|align="right"|+2.37
|-
|Jaimie Board
|align="right"|528
|align="right"|1.46
|align="right"|+0.51
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"
! colspan="6"|By-election
, May 2, 2002
resignation of Mike Harris
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"
! colspan="2" style="width: 200px"|Party
! style="width: 170px"|Candidate
! style="width: 40px"|Votes
! style="width: 40px"|%
! style="width: 40px"|±%
|-
| style="width: 185px"| Progressive Conservative
|Al McDonald
|align="right"|13,989
|align="right"|45.54
|align="right"|-4.88
|-
| style="width: 185px"| Liberal
|George Maroosis
|align="right"|13,970
|align="right"|45.48
|align="right"|+2.34
|-
| style="width: 185px"|New Democrat
|Wendy Young
|align="right"|1,821
|align="right"|5.93
|align="right"|+1.07
|-
| style="width: 185px"|Green
|Todd Lucier
|align="right"|940
|align="right"|3.06
|align="right"|+2.11
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, currently the mayor of North Bay
North Bay, Ontario
North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He was previously a Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
from 2002 to 2003, and ran unsuccessfully for the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
in the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
.
McDonald was politically active on North Bay City Council
North Bay City Council
North Bay City Council is the governing body of the city of North Bay, Ontario, Canada.Unlike many Canadian city councils, North Bay does not elect its council on a ward system. Instead, all councillors are elected at-large, and the ten candidates with the most votes are declared elected to council...
before entering provincial politics, serving as the deputy mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of that city for a time. He also served on the North Bay Economic Development Commission, the North Bay Police Services Board, and other local programs.
When former Premier
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
resigned as the member for Nipissing
Nipissing (electoral district)
Nipissing was a federal electoral district that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1896 to 2004. It was located in the northeastern part of Ontario, Canada....
in early 2002, McDonald won the Progressive Conservative nomination to replace him. In a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
held on May 2, 2002, he defeated Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
candidate George Maroosis by 19 votes, as confirmed by a recount. Despite being one of the few Tory Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) from Northern Ontario, McDonald was not given a place in the cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
of Ernie Eves
Ernie Eves
Ernest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
.
His tenure in office was brief. The Liberals won a majority government in the provincial election of 2003
Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, and McDonald lost his seat to Liberal candidate Monique Smith
Monique Smith
Monique M. Smith is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Nipissing for the Liberal Party...
by about 3,000 votes.
In the federal election of 2004, McDonald ran for the Conservatives in the redistributed riding of Nipissing—Timiskaming
Nipissing—Timiskaming
Nipissing—Timiskaming is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004. The riding was formed by the amalgamation of the former Nipissing riding with the southeastern portion of the former Timiskaming—Cochrane...
, but lost to Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Anthony Rota
Anthony Rota
Anthony Rota is a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 2004 to 2011, representing the riding of Nipissing—Timiskaming....
by over 2,000 votes.
On August 26, 2010 McDonald announced his intention to run for mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of North Bay in the 2010 municipal election
Nipissing District municipal elections, 2010
Elections were held in the organized municipalities in the Nipissing District of Ontario on October 25, 2010 in conjunction with municipal elections across the province.-Bonfield:...
. He won 87 per cent of the vote on election day over challengers Valerie Chadbourne and Harvey Villneff.
Electoral record
|-
|Monique Smith
Monique Smith
Monique M. Smith is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Nipissing for the Liberal Party...
|align="right"|18,003
|align="right"|49.84
|align="right"|+6.70
|-
|Al McDonald
|align="right"|14,978
|align="right"|41.47
|align="right"|-8.95
|-
|Terry O'Connor
|align="right"|2,613
|align="right"|7.23
|align="right"|+2.37
|-
|Jaimie Board
|align="right"|528
|align="right"|1.46
|align="right"|+0.51
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"
! colspan="6"|By-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, May 2, 2002
resignation of Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
|- style="background-color:#E9E9E9"
! colspan="2" style="width: 200px"|Party
! style="width: 170px"|Candidate
! style="width: 40px"|Votes
! style="width: 40px"|%
! style="width: 40px"|±%
|-
| style="width: 185px"| Progressive Conservative
|Al McDonald
|align="right"|13,989
|align="right"|45.54
|align="right"|-4.88
|-
| style="width: 185px"| Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
|George Maroosis
|align="right"|13,970
|align="right"|45.48
|align="right"|+2.34
|-
| style="width: 185px"|New Democrat
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
|Wendy Young
|align="right"|1,821
|align="right"|5.93
|align="right"|+1.07
|-
| style="width: 185px"|Green
|Todd Lucier
|align="right"|940
|align="right"|3.06
|align="right"|+2.11