Bill Saunderson
{{short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Bill Saunderson
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| office = Ontario MPP
| term_start = 1995
| term_end = 1999
| predecessor = Dianne Poole
| successor = Riding abolished
| constituency = Eglinton
| party = Progressive Conservative
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1933}}
| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario
| residence = Toronto, Ontario
| occupation = Investment manager, founded Sceptre Investment Counsel
| education = Trinity College, Toronto
University of Ottawa
| spouse = Meredith Saunderson
| children = Janet Saunderson, Brian Saunderson, Pamela Saunderson
}}
William J. Saunderson (born {{circa|1934}}) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 1999, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Mike Harris.
His son, Brian Saunderson is the MPP for Simcoe—Grey.{{cite web |last1=Paikin |first1=Steve |title=Ontario Election For Family Day, a father-son political profile |url=https://www.tvo.org/article/for-family-day-a-father-son-political-profile |website=TVO |publisher=Ontario Educational Communications Authority |access-date=3 March 2025 |date=17 February 2025}}
Background
Saunderson was educated at the University of Trinity College in the University of Toronto, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree and subsequently becoming a certified accountant. He continued his education as an adult, and received a PhD from the University of Ottawa in 1994. After graduation, he worked as an accountant with Clarkson and Gordon. He co-founded Spectre Investment Counsel Ltd. in 1971, and worked with the Ontario Pension Commission from 1972 to 1983. Saunderson also had financial ties to the cigarette industry, which became controversial after he entered political life.
Politics
Saunderson was active in political organization before running for office himself. He took part in fundraising activities for several municipal, provincial and federal campaigns for such figures as Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark, David Crombie and Art Eggleton, and was the financial comptroller for the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada's national election campaigns in 1984 and 1988.
He ran in the riding of Eglinton in the 1995 provincial election, and defeated Liberal incumbent Dianne Poole by about 4,500 votes.{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1995_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=36&rec=0&district=eglinton&flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=June 8, 1995 |accessdate=2014-03-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140324045300/http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1995_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=36&rec=0&district=eglinton&flag=E&layout=G |archivedate=March 24, 2014 }}
On June 26, 1995, he was appointed as Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism in the first cabinet of Mike Harris.{{cite news |title=Mike Harris' cabinet |newspaper=The Spectator |location=Hamilton, Ont |date=June 27, 1995 |page=A7}} In 1997, Saunderson announced that the government would be cutting its spending on Ontario's seven "centres of excellence" by 13%. In October 1997, Harris shuffled his cabinet and Saunderson was dropped from his cabinet post. Saunderson had indicated that he would not be running for re-election in the next campaign.{{cite news |title=Premier to shuffle cabinet Ministers to move out of hot portfolios: Snobelen from Education, Wilson from Health |last1=Rusk |first1=James |last2=Mackie |first2=Richard |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=October 10, 1997 |page=A1}} After leaving cabinet, he was named to chair the Ontario International Trade Corporation.{{cite news |title='Undertaker' takes on Ontario's teachers Harris' new cabinet |last=McCann |first=Wendy |newspaper=Kingston Whig - Standard |date=October 11, 1997 |page=13}}
=Cabinet positions=
{{s-start}}
{{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Mike_Harris}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts
| post1preceded = Anne Swarbrick
| post1 = Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism
| post1years = 1995–1997
| post1note =
| post1followed = Al Palladini
}}
{{s-end}}
Later life
In 1999, he was appointed to the board of directors of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.{{cite news |title=TSO conductor makes a pitch to resolve strike ; He sets up informal talks and sees progress |last=Powell |first=Betsy |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=October 27, 1999 |page=1}}
In 2000, Saunderson and his wife established a research chair at the University of Toronto to facilitate studies in brain injuries. In 1988 their daughter had been injured in a bicycling accident after being hit by a car.{{cite news |title=Rehabilitation centre gets $15 million from province ; Need for research recognized 'as population ages' |last=Lu |first=Vanessa |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=October 26, 2000 |page=25}}
In 2006, he supported Jane Pitfield in her bid to become mayor of Toronto.{{cite news |title=Former Mayor Miller supporter to run Jane Pitfield's campaign |last=Lu |first=Vanessa |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=June 1, 2006 |page=R11}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{OntarioMPPbio|id=william-j-saunderson}}
{{Harris Ministry}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunderson, Bill}}
Category:Members of the Executive Council of Ontario
Category:Politicians from Toronto
Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs
Category:Trinity College (Canada) alumni
Category:University of Ottawa alumni
Category:University of Toronto alumni
Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario