Jacques Noe René Fontaine (November 5, 1933 – March 17, 2012) was a

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

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 1985 to 1990, and was 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

Fontaine was educated at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

. He was vice-president of a sawmill in Hearst. In 1977, he declared it a "bilingual municipality". Fontaine also served as president of Maison Renaissance and Arc en Ciel in Hearst.

Politics

He served as a municipal councillor in the northern town of Hearst from 1963 to 1966, and was the town's

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 ...

from 1967 to 1980. He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1985 provincial election, defeating Progressive Conservative René Piché in Cochrane North, a large riding in the province's northeastern corner. Fontaine was the only Liberal MPP elected from northern Ontario, and was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Northern Affairs and Mines. In October 1985, Fontaine announced that the Ministry would be reorganized as the ''Ministry of Northern Development and Mines''. He said the government would spend an additional $100 million in the north on development projects.

Bud Wildman Charles Jackson "Bud" Wildman (born June 3, 1946) is a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a New Democratic Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1975 to 1999, representing the riding of Algoma, ...

criticized the announcement as a one-shot infusion and that after five years there would be no more money. In June 1986, opposition MPP

Andy Brandt Andrew S. Brandt (June 11, 1938 – December 22, 2023) was a Canadian politician and public administrator who served in a number of roles in the province of Ontario. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Progressive Conservative ...

disclosed to the legislature that Fontaine had failed to disclose ownership of 17,000 shares in Golden Tiger, a mining company operating in Ontario and

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. Fontaine acknowledged his mistake, saying that he had forgotten to disclose the shares as required be Peterson's conflict-of-interest guidelines. He resigned both his portfolio and his seat in the legislature on June 26, stating that he wanted to be exonerated by the people of his riding in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

. The Progressive Conservatives and New Democratic Party refused to run candidates, and described the entire affair as farcical. Fontaine easily defeated a spread of minor candidates; he was not immediately re-appointed to cabinet, but served as a

parliamentary assistant In British politics and some Commonwealth nations, a parliamentary assistant is an unelected partisan staff member employed by a Member of Parliament (MP) to assist them with their parliamentary duties. Parliamentary assistants usually work ...

in the first part of 1987. Peterson's Liberals won a landslide majority government in the 1987 provincial election, and Fontaine was re-elected by almost 4,000 votes over Len Wood of the NDP. He returned to cabinet as Minister of Northern Development, and retained this position until August 8, 1990. He did not seek re-election in the 1990 provincial election. There is currently a

Hearst (René Fontaine) Municipal Airport Hearst (René Fontaine) Municipal Airport (Aéroport municipale de Hearst Municipal Airport) is located northwest of Hearst, Ontario, Canada. It is named after former mayor and provincial cabinet member René Fontaine. The airport is owned ...

in Hearst.

Cabinet positions

References

Notes

Citations

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fontaine, Rene 1933 births 2012 deaths Members of the Executive Council of Ontario Ontario Liberal Party MPPs People from Hearst, Ontario 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario