Norman "Norm" Allen Weiss (December 23, 1935 – June 2, 2015) was a provincial level politician from

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

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 served as a member of the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. Since 2012 the Legislative Assembly has had 87 members, elected first past the post f ...

from 1979 to 1993 sitting with the governing Progressive Conservative caucus. During his time in office he served a couple different cabinet portfolios under the government of

Don Getty Donald Ross Getty (August 30, 1933 – February 26, 2016) was a Canadian athlete, businessman, and politician who served as the 11th premier of Alberta between 1985 and 1992. Before entering politics, Getty had been a quarterback for the Edmon ...

Early life

Norman Allen Weiss was born December 23, 1935, in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

to Alfred William Weiss and Matilda Steltter. He attended Victoria Composite High School, and married Carol Elaine Dittberner on June 15, 1961, with which he had two daughters. Weiss would work for

Shell Canada Shell Canada Limited () is the principal Canadian subsidiary of British energy major Shell plc and one of Canada's largest integrated oil companies. Exploration and production of oil, natural gas and sulphur is a major part of its business, as ...

as the Western Marketing Manager and transfer to

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, and later transfer to Fort McMurray, Alberta to operate a Shell bulk plant and

Ski-Doo Ski-Doo is a brand name of snowmobile manufactured by Bombardier Recreational Products (originally Bombardier Inc. before the spin-off). The Ski-Doo personal snowmobile brand is so iconic, especially in Canada, that it was listed in 17th pla ...

dealership. During his time in Fort McMurray, Weiss would serve as the vice-chair of the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Kinsmen Club,

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

and Muffalloose Trailblazers.

Political career

Weiss ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature as a candidate for the governing Progressive Conservative party in the 1979 Alberta general election. He won the election to hold the Lac La Biche-McMurray electoral district for his party. He won over half the popular vote, easily defeating three other candidates. Weiss stood for re-election in the

1982 Alberta general election The 1982 Alberta general election was held on November 2, 1982, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. History Less than four years had passed since the Progressive Conservatives won their landslide victory in 1979. Premie ...

. He won a super majority defeating three other candidates in his bid for a second term in office. Lac La Biche-McMurray was abolished due to redistribution in 1986. Weiss ran for a third term in office in the new

Fort McMurray Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significa ...

electoral district for the 1986 general election. He won the new district in a tight race with NDP candidate Ann Dort Maclean finishing just over 700 votes ahead in the polling. After the election Premier

appointed Weiss to the

Executive Council of Alberta The Executive Council of Alberta (the Cabinet) is a body of ministers of the Crown in right of Alberta, who along with the lieutenant governor, exercises the powers of the Government of Alberta. Ministers are selected by the premier and typic ...

to serve as Minister of Recreation and Parks. Weiss ran for his fourth term in office in the 1989 Alberta general election this time with ministerial advantage. He once again faced Maclean and held his seat, because her plurality dropped while his went up marginally. After the election Getty made Weiss the new Minister of Career Development and Employment. He held that portfolio until

Ralph Klein Ralph Philip Klein (November 1, 1942 – March 29, 2013) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 12th premier of Alberta and leader of the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta from 1992 until his retirement in 2 ...

became Premier in 1992. Weiss retired from the assembly at dissolution in 1993.

Later life

Following his retirement from politics, Weiss moved to Courtenay, British Columbia. Weiss was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. Weiss died on June 2, 2015, in

Courtenay, British Columbia Courtenay ( ) is a city of about 26,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. It is the largest community and only List of cities in British Columbia, city in th ...

. He had

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

Lewy Body Dementia Lewy body dementia (LBD) is an umbrella term for two similar and common subtypes of dementia: dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Both are characterized by changes in thinking, movement, behavior, and mood. The ...

and

throat cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips ( oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophar ...

References

External links

Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Norm Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs 1935 births 2015 deaths Members of the Executive Council of Alberta 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta