James W. Snow
Encyclopedia
James Wilfred Snow was a politician in Ontario
, Canada
. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
from 1967 to 1985, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of William Davis
and Frank Miller. Snow was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party
.
He was born in Esquesing Township, Ontario, and educated in Milton
. He worked as a farmer before entering political life, and was the president of Snow Construction Ltd., Snow Properties Ltd. and Oakville Investments Ltd.
Snow was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1967 provincial election
, defeating Liberal
candidate Robin Skuce by 164 votes in Halton East
. He served as a backbench supporter of John Robarts
's government for the next four years, and was named a minister without portfolio
when Davis replaced Robarts as premier
on March 1, 1971. He was re-elected with a much increased majority in the 1971 election
, and was promoted to Minister of Public Works and Minister of Government Services on February 2, 1972. He left the former portfolio on September 28 of the same year.
The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a minority government
in the 1975 election
. Snow was re-elected in the redistributed district of Oakville
, and was named Minister of Transportation and Communications on October 7, 1975. He held this position for over nine years, until the end of the Davis administration. Snow supported Frank Miller to succeed Davis as party leader in January 1985, and was retained in Miller's portfolio as a minister without portfolio responsible for Urban Transit. He did not seek re-election in 1985.
Snow published an autobiography after leaving political life, and purchased a golf course in Hornby, Ontario. Snow donated his family wheelchair van to the Lions Foundation of Canada in August 2005.
Long time residents of Milton, Ontario, James & Barbara Snow recently (Tuesday December 12, 2006) donated half-a-million dollars to the Milton District Hospital
Foundation's CT Scanner Campaign. The annex housing the scanner will commence construction in February 2007 and will be named the "James and Barbara Snow Family Trust Diagnostic Imaging Annex".
The town of Milton, Ontario
renamed Fourth Line (in the former Trafalgar Township) James Snow Parkway (Halton Regional Road 4). It was upgraded in the early 1980s to become a major arterial road
, and is in the process of being extended on both north and south ends. The overpass of the James Snow Parkway at Highway 401 was destroyed in 1986 when it was hit by a fuel tanker. It has subsequently been rebuilt.
Snow died on September 13, 2008 of complications from diabetes. He was 79.
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...
. He served in 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 1967 to 1985, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of William Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
and Frank Miller. Snow was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party
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...
.
He was born in Esquesing Township, Ontario, and educated in Milton
Milton, Ontario
Milton is a town in Southern Ontario, Canada, and part of the Halton Region in the Greater Toronto Area. Milton received a tremendous amount of awareness following the release of the results of the 2006 Census, which indicated that Milton is the fastest growing municipality in the Greater Golden...
. He worked as a farmer before entering political life, and was the president of Snow Construction Ltd., Snow Properties Ltd. and Oakville Investments Ltd.
Snow was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1967 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1967
The Ontario general election of 1967 was held on October 17, 1967, to elect the 117 members of the 28th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, defeating 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 Robin Skuce by 164 votes in Halton East
Halton East
Halton East is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated near Bolton Abbey and a local Heritage Railway called Skipton & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. Where it has its own halt called Holywell Halt "which is one day hoped to be renamed Halton East...
. He served as a backbench supporter of John Robarts
John Robarts
John Parmenter Robarts, PC, CC, QC was a Canadian lawyer and statesman, and the 17th Premier of Ontario.-Early life:...
's government for the next four years, and was named a minister without portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
when Davis replaced Robarts as 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...
on March 1, 1971. He was re-elected with a much increased majority in the 1971 election
Ontario general election, 1971
The Ontario general election of 1971 was held on October 21, 1971, to elect the 117 members of the 29th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
, and was promoted to Minister of Public Works and Minister of Government Services on February 2, 1972. He left the former portfolio on September 28 of the same year.
The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
in the 1975 election
Ontario general election, 1975
The Ontario general election of 1975 was held on September 18, 1975, to elect the 125 members of the 30th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
. Snow was re-elected in the redistributed district of Oakville
Oakville (electoral district)
Oakville is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997.-History:It was created in 1996 from parts of Halton and Oakville—Milton ridings....
, and was named Minister of Transportation and Communications on October 7, 1975. He held this position for over nine years, until the end of the Davis administration. Snow supported Frank Miller to succeed Davis as party leader in January 1985, and was retained in Miller's portfolio as a minister without portfolio responsible for Urban Transit. He did not seek re-election in 1985.
Snow published an autobiography after leaving political life, and purchased a golf course in Hornby, Ontario. Snow donated his family wheelchair van to the Lions Foundation of Canada in August 2005.
Long time residents of Milton, Ontario, James & Barbara Snow recently (Tuesday December 12, 2006) donated half-a-million dollars to the Milton District Hospital
Milton District Hospital
Milton District Hospital is a community hospital built on of land, located in Milton, Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Halton Healthcare Services, an organization which also operates Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital and Georgetown Hospital....
Foundation's CT Scanner Campaign. The annex housing the scanner will commence construction in February 2007 and will be named the "James and Barbara Snow Family Trust Diagnostic Imaging Annex".
The town of Milton, Ontario
Milton, Ontario
Milton is a town in Southern Ontario, Canada, and part of the Halton Region in the Greater Toronto Area. Milton received a tremendous amount of awareness following the release of the results of the 2006 Census, which indicated that Milton is the fastest growing municipality in the Greater Golden...
renamed Fourth Line (in the former Trafalgar Township) James Snow Parkway (Halton Regional Road 4). It was upgraded in the early 1980s to become a major arterial road
Arterial road
An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature...
, and is in the process of being extended on both north and south ends. The overpass of the James Snow Parkway at Highway 401 was destroyed in 1986 when it was hit by a fuel tanker. It has subsequently been rebuilt.
Snow died on September 13, 2008 of complications from diabetes. He was 79.