John F. Eakins (December 8, 1922 - September 16, 1998) was a politician in Ontario,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He was a Liberal member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

from 1975 to 1990 who represented the riding of Victoria—Haliburton. He served as a

Cabinet Minister A minister is a politician who heads a ministry, making and implementing decisions on policies in conjunction with the other ministers. In some jurisdictions the head of government is also a minister and is designated the ' prime minister', ' p ...

in the government of

David Peterson David Robert Peterson (born December 28, 1943) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 20th premier of Ontario from 1985 to 1990. He was the first Liberal officeholder in 42 years, ending the so-called Tory dynasty. Back ...

Background

Eakins was born in Mariposa Township in Victoria County,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and educated in

Lindsay, Ontario Lindsay is a community of 22,367 people ( 2021 census) on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of south-eastern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately west of Peterborough. It is located in the City of Kawartha Lakes, and is the hub for ...

. Eakins was a barber and hairdresser. Eakin was predeceased by his wife, Iris, who died in the mid-1980s and they had three children.

Politics

He served as a councillor in Lindsay for three years, and as

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

for six. As Mayor, he led the twinning of the Town of Lindsay with

Nayoro, Hokkaido file:Nayoro city center area Aerial photograph.2011.jpg, 280px, Nayoro city center is a Cities of Japan, city in Kamikawa Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 24,702, and a population density of 46 people pe ...

, and Japan in 1969. Eakins was also a governor of

Fleming College Fleming College, also known as Sir Sandford Fleming College, is an List of Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology, Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology located in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. History The college was named ...

, and a member of the

Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian veterans' organization founded in 1925. Members include people who served in the military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial or municipal police, Royal Canadian Air, Army and Sea Cade ...

. He also served as Warden of

Victoria County, Ontario The County of Victoria, or Victoria County, was a county in the Canadian province of Ontario. It was formed in 1854 as ''The United Counties of Peterborough and Victoria'', and separated from Peterborough in 1863. In 2001, the county was dissolv ...

. He first sought election to the Ontario legislature in the 1967 provincial election, but lost to Progressive Conservative Glen Hodgson by 2,016 votes in Victoria—Haliburton. He ran again in the 1971 election and lost to Hodgson by 2,119 votes. The Ontario Liberal Party increased its legislative representation in the 1975 provincial election, and Eakins defeated Hodgson by 1,023 votes in his third attempt. He was re-elected by greater margins in the elections of

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

and

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

. After serving in opposition for forty-two years, the Liberal Party formed a

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in ...

after the 1985 election. David Peterson, the province's new

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

, appointed Eakins as his Minister of Tourism and Recreation on June 26, 1985. He held this position until September 29, 1987, when he was appointed as Minister of Municipal Affairs. He left cabinet on August 2, 1989. Eakins did not run in the 1990 election.

Cabinet positions

Later life

After leaving provincial office, he remained active in the Rotary Club of Lindsay and numerous other community activities. Eakins was the driving force behind the creation of the Lindsay and District Sports Hall of Fame, which was developed to honour athletes, coaches and supporters of sporting activities in the County., LADSHF History Eakins died in 1998, after undergoing cancer treatments in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eakins, John 1922 births 1998 deaths Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario