Gordon Douglas Balser (24 February 1954 – 10 April 2024) was a Canadian educator and politician in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. He represented Digby-Annapolis in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

from 1998 to 2003 as a Progressive Conservative member.

Early life

Balser was born on 24 February 1954. He grew up on a farm in

Digby, Nova Scotia Digby is a Canadian town in southwestern Nova Scotia. It is in the historical Digby County, Nova Scotia, county of Digby and a separate municipality from the Municipality of the District of Digby. The town is situated on the western shore of the ...

. He had four brothers and a sister. He attended

Acadia University Acadia University is a public, predominantly Undergraduate education, undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some Postgraduate education, graduate programs at the master's level and one at the Doctorate, doctor ...

, where he received a BBA, BEd and a Masters in Education. Balser was a teacher, teaching principal and acting superintendent of schools for the Digby district. During his education career, he was a teacher and principal at both Barton Consolidated School and Digby Elementary School, as well as superintendent of schools for the Tri-County Area. In the summer, he worked as a carpenter for over 30 years.

Political career

Balser entered provincial politics in the 1998 election, defeating Liberal John Drish by 233 votes in the Digby-Annapolis riding. He was re-elected in the 1999 election by over 2,200 votes. In August 1999, he was appointed to the

Executive Council of Nova Scotia The Executive Council of Nova Scotia (informally and more commonly, the Cabinet of Nova Scotia) is the cabinet of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Almost always made up of members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, the cabinet is s ...

as Minister of Economic Development and Minister of Transportation and Public Works. In December 1999, the Transportation and Public Works portfolio was transferred to

Ron Russell Ronald Stanley Thornton Russell (22 July 1926 – 7 March 2019) was a Canadian politician and pilot who lived in Nova Scotia. Early life and education Russell was born in Ngongotahā, New Zealand. He was a pilot for the Royal New Zealand Air Fo ...

. In June 2002, Balser was shuffled to Minister of Energy. On 19 December 2002, premier

John Hamm John Frederick Hamm (born April 8, 1938) is a Canadian physician and politician, who served as the 25th premier of Nova Scotia from 1999 to 2006. Education Hamm, a graduate of the University of King's College and Dalhousie University, was a ...

shuffled his cabinet, moving Balser to Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Minister of the Public Service Commission. In the 2003 election, Balser was defeated by Liberal Harold Theriault. Balser's loss was attributed to his support for a local quarrying project that Theriault had opposed.

Personal life and death

In 1981, he married Wendy Suzanne Moore. His daughter

Jill Balser Jill Suzanne Balser (born March 3, 1986) is a Canadians, Canadian politician, who was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in the 2021 Nova Scotia general election. She represents the riding of Digby-Annapolis as a member of the Progress ...

was elected to the legislature to represent Digby-Annapolis in the

2021 Nova Scotia general election The 2021 Nova Scotia general election was held on August 17, 2021, to elect members to the 64th General Assembly of Nova Scotia. In a major Upset (competition), upset, Tim Houston led the Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, Pr ...

. In 2021, she became Nova Scotia's Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration, as well as Minister responsible for Apprenticeship. He also had two other daughters, Erin and Anne. In 2002, he was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...

. Balser died on 10 April 2024, at the age of 70.

References

External links

Lumley, E ''Canadian Who's Who 2003''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balser, Gordon 1954 births 2024 deaths Acadia University alumni Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia People from Digby County, Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs 20th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly 21st-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly