Michael Murray Dietsch (February 2, 1942 – March 9, 2014) was a politician in

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 ...

, Canada. He served in 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 ...

as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

from 1987 to 1990. He also served as mayor of

Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York (state), New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the R ...

from 1991 to 1997.

Background

Dietsch was educated at Niagara District secondary school, and was a small farm operator and automotive worker in private life. He served as an alderman in

from 1974 to 1982 and 1985 to 1987, and was a Regional Councillor from 1982 to 1987 and Deputy Lord Mayor from 1985 to 1987. He was also president of the Niagara-on-the-Lake

Jaycees The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI). A ...

. He lived in

with his wife Gail. Together they raised six children.

Politics

He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1987 provincial election, defeating incumbent Progressive Conservative

Peter Partington Peter Partington (born September 9, 1939) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1987 who represented the Niagara region riding Brock. He later s ...

by 2001 votes in the constituency of

St. Catharines—Brock St. Catharines—Brock was a provincial electoral division in Ontario, Canada containing the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake as well as the southern portion of the city of St. Catharines. It was created prior to the 1975 provincial election, and was ...

. For the next three years, he served as a backbench supporter 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 ...

's government. During his tenure he sponsored and successfully passed three

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in wh ...

s - the allowance of credit card sales at wineries, the allowance of Sunday openings at wineries and an irrigation bill to allow farmers to use irrigation ditches to water their crops. The Liberals were defeated by the

Ontario New Democratic Party The Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP; , NPD) is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. The party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum. It is Ontario’s provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. The ...

in the 1990 provincial election and Dietsch lost his seat to

Christel Haeck Christel HaeckFirst name spelled as Christel, Cristel or Crystal in media sources. (born March 9, 1948) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995 who ...

of the NDP by 1,159 votes. Dietsch returned to municipal politics in 1991 when he was elected

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

of Niagara-on-the-Lake. He was re-elected in 1994. He was elected as a Regional Councillor for Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1997. Later that year, he sought the Chairmanship of the Niagara Regional Municipality, but lost to

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...

Regional Councillor Debbie Zimmerman. He did not seek re-election in 2000.

Later life

He ran a

bed and breakfast A bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. In addition, a B&B sometimes has the hosts living in the house. ''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to ...

inn in the town until 2007 when he retired. He died in 2014 after a long battle with cancer.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dietsch, Michael 1942 births 2014 deaths People from Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario Liberal Party MPPs 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario