Vernon Milton Singer (March 26, 1919 – September 20, 2003) was a Canadian 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 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 1959 to 1977 who represented the

North York North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...

ridings of York Centre,

Downsview Downsview is a neighbourhood in the north end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in the district of North York. The area takes its name from the Downs View farm established around 1842 near the present-day intersection of Keele Street and Wils ...

and Wilson Heights.

Background

Singer was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, the son of lawyer and politician Joseph Singer who was the first Jewish-Canadian to be elected to the

Toronto Board of Control The Board of Control of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was a part of its municipal government until it was abolished in 1969. It served as the executive committee of the Toronto City Council. When it was initially created in 1896 by mandate of the provi ...

. After serving in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

with the

Royal Canadian Dragoons The Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD) is the senior armoured regiment of the Canadian Army by precedence. It is one of three armoured regiments in the Regular Force and forms part of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. The colonel-in-chief of the ...

, Singer returned to Canada and became president of the Young Liberals in 1947. He worked for a while as a lawyer before entering politics. He and his wife Elaine had three children.

Politics

He became a councillor in

North York, Ontario North York is a former township and city and is now one of the six administrative districts of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the northern area of Toronto, centred around Yonge Street, north of Ontario Highway 401. It is bounded by ...

eventually becoming reeve from 1957 to 1958. He ran for the leadership of the

Ontario Liberal Party The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; , PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by Bonnie Crombie since December 2023. The party espouses the principles of liberalism, with their rival the Progressive Co ...

at the 1958 Ontario Liberal leadership convention, placing fourth. He was elected to the

in the 1959 provincial election. Singer became deputy leader of the Ontario Liberal Party and, as a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP), pushed for reforms to municipal law,

automobile insurance Vehicle insurance (also known as car insurance, motor insurance, or auto insurance) is insurance for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and other road vehicles. Its primary use is to provide financial protection against physical damage or bodily injury ...

and electoral laws as well as for the establishment of a provincial

ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

. He served as Liberal House Leader in the 1970s and, in 1973, sued fellow Liberal MPP Eddie Sargent for libel after Sargent made remarks about Singer's retainer fee from a developer while he was appearing before a legislative committee to explain how he obtained the contract to build Ontario Hydro's new headquarters in Toronto. Singer was deputy leader of the Liberals from 1966 until 1973, when he was asked to step down by leader Robert Nixon, after he filed the lawsuit but was allowed to remain in the shadow cabinet. Singer was re-elected to the legislature on four successive occasions before retiring in 1977. His retirement was controversial as he announced it on the eve of that year's election campaign without giving his Liberal colleagues advance notice. The Progressive Conservatives won Singer's previously safe seat in the election and, the next year, the government appointed Singer to the first of five two-year terms on the

Ontario Municipal Board The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) was an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada. It heard applications and appeals on municipal and planning disputes, as well as other matters s ...

including several years as its chairman. The incident resulted in accusations by NDP MPP

Ed Ziemba Edward John Ziemba (born May 2, 1932) is a former Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Ontario New Democratic Party, New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1981 who represented the downtown Toronto ...

that the government had bought Singer's seat, and that of fellow Liberal

Philip Givens Philip Gerald Givens, (April 24, 1922 – November 30, 1995) was a Canadian politician and judge. He was the Mayor of Toronto, a Member of Parliament (MP) and Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP). He was born and raised in Toronto and a ...

who left in similar circumstances, through political patronage.

Later life

Following his retirement from the Ontario Municipal Board in 1989, Singer won election to North York's committee of adjustment filling a seat vacated by Patti Starr when she was forced to resign as the result of a wider political scandal.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Singer, Vernon 1919 births 2003 deaths Mayors of North York Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Jewish mayors of places in Canada Metropolitan Toronto councillors Canadian Army personnel of World War II Royal Canadian Dragoons soldiers 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario