Stephen Blais
{{short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Stephen Blais - 2017 (cropped).jpg
| name = Stephen Blais
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nom|MPP|size=100%}}
| caption = Stephen Blais in 2017
| website = https://www.stephenblais.ca
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|7|20|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| parliament = Ontario Provincial
| riding = Orléans
| term_start = February 27, 2020
| term_end =
| predecessor = Marie-France Lalonde
| successor =
| office1 = Ottawa City Councillor
| term_start1 = December 1, 2010
| term_end1 = March 5, 2020
| predecessor1 = Rob Jellett
| successor1 = Catherine Kitts
| office2 = Ottawa-Carleton Catholic School Board Trustee
| term_start2 = December 1, 2006
| term_end2 = November 30, 2010
| predecessor2 = Des Curley
| successor2 = Brian Coburn
| party = Ontario Liberal Party
| constituency1 = Cumberland Ward
| constituency2 = Zone 3 (Orléans & Cumberland)
| majority =
| spouse = Marta Blais
| awards = 2013 Francophile de l'année - ACFO{{cite news |last=Brunette |first=Martin |date=February 13, 2014 |title=Stephen Blais francophile de l'année |url=https://online.flippingbook.com/view/713235/4/ |language=French |work=Vision |volume=20 |issue=3 |location=Ottawa, Ontario |access-date=December 11, 2023}}
2013 Orléans Chamber of Commerce Community Service Business of the Year{{cite news |last=Dodge |first=Brian |date=February 6, 2014 |title=Orléans businesses shine at chamber awards |url=https://issuu.com/emcorleans/docs/orleans020614 |work=Orléans News |location=Ottawa, Ontario |page=33 |access-date=December 11, 2023}}
}}
Stephen Christopher Leonard Blais{{Cite news|title=Blais|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-ottawa-citizen/136693149/|access-date=2023-12-12|newspaper=Ottawa Citizen|date=July 24, 1980}} {{Post-nominals|MPP}} (born July 20, 1980) is a Canadian politician who has served as the member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Orléans since February 27, 2020.
Before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, he was the Ottawa City Councillor for Cumberland Ward. He won the ward in the 2010 Ottawa municipal election, defeating the incumbent Rob Jellett. He was re-elected in the 2014 and 2018 municipal elections.
Early life and career
Blais was born at the Grace Hospital in Ottawa to Stephen and Debbie Blais (née Kane) and grew up in the Queenswood Heights neighbourhood of Orléans in the former Cumberland Township. Upon graduating from St. Peter Catholic High School, he attended the University of Ottawa to pursue a bachelor's degree in political science.{{cite web |url=http://stephenblais.com/about-stephen.html |title=About Stephen |author= |date= |website= |publisher= |access-date= |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005054625/http://stephenblais.com/about-stephen.html |archive-date=October 5, 2013}}{{cite web |url=https://ontarioliberal.ca/mpp/stephen-blais-2/ |title=Stephen Blais |author= |date= |website= |publisher=Ontario Liberal Party |access-date=December 11, 2023}} Following university, he served as Executive Assistant to Jim Watson while Watson served in the Ontario Cabinet. Blais later moved to Carleton University where he worked as a media and communications advisor.{{cite news |author= |date=August 26, 2022 |title=Meet Your MPPs |url=https://peo.on.ca/sites/default/files/2022-08/GLPWeeklyTimes-2022Aug26.pdf |work=GLP Weekly Times |volume=16 |issue=28 |location= |publisher=Professional Engineers Ontario |page=5 |access-date=December 11, 2023}}
Prior to being elected as a councillor, Blais served as an Ottawa Catholic School Board Trustee for Orléans-Cumberland. He was first elected as a Trustee in 2006 when he defeated the incumbent.{{Cite news |date=January 7, 2013 |title=Ottawa councillor Stephen Blais suffers heart attack |work=Ottawa Sun |url=https://ottawasun.com/2013/01/07/ottawa-councillor-stephen-blais-suffers-heart-attack}}{{cite news |last=Campbell |first=Don |date=October 24, 2010 |title=Jellett out, Blais in |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/jellett-out-blais-in |work=Ottawa Citizen |location=Ottawa, Ontario |access-date=December 10, 2023}}
Political career
= School Trustee =
As part of his election campaign, Blais promised to donate the pay raise trustees voted for themselves.{{Cite web |title=Stephen Blais Biography |url=https://ontarioliberal.ca/mpp/stephen-blais-2/ |access-date=November 29, 2023 |website=Ontario Liberal party}} In 2006, Blais endowed a bursary at Carleton University for high school students from Orleans, Ontario.{{cite web |url=https://futurefunder.carleton.ca/giving-fund/stephen-blais-bursary-giving/ |website=Carleton University |access-date=March 27, 2023 |title=Stephen Blais Bursary }}
= Ottawa City Council =
In 2010, Blais was elected the city councillor for Cumberland Ward, defeating the two-term incumbent, Rob Jellett. In his first term, he secured an environmental assessment for the proposed widening Highway 174 and pushed to extend Light Rail Transit to Orléans.{{cite news |last1=Chianello |first1=Joanne |title=Like him or not, rookie Blais is getting things done |url=https://www.pressreader.com/article/282059094050932 |agency=Ottawa Citizen |date=May 29, 2012}}
In 2011, Blais successfully spearheaded a campaign to ban smoking on outdoor patios in Ottawa.{{Cite news |date=January 7, 2013 |title=Ottawa councillor Stephen Blais suffers heart attack |work=The Ottawa Sun |url=https://ottawasun.com/2013/01/07/ottawa-councillor-stephen-blais-suffers-heart-attack}}{{Cite news |date=August 11, 2011 |title=Ottawa councillor wants smoking banned in parks and patios |work=CTV News Ottawa |url=https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ottawa-councillor-wants-smoking-banned-in-parks-and-patios-1.682270?cache=lfsjojnmkgmxbok%3FclipId%3D740678#:~:text=An%20Ottawa%20councillor%20wants%20to,told%20CTV%20Ottawa%20on%20Thursday.}}
In 2013, Blais proposed that Ontario should re-upload Highway 174 and if not, allow the City of Ottawa to introduce a toll on out-of-town users to help pay for the much needed widening of the highway with the addition of a dedicated bus lane to Rockland.{{cite web |title=Put toll on 174 for out-of-towners, councillor says |date=May 31, 2013 |website=CBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531080930/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/put-toll-on-174-for-out-of-towners-councillor-says-1.1318047 |archive-date=May 31, 2023 |url-status=live |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/put-toll-on-174-for-out-of-towners-councillor-says-1.1318047}} Ottawa City Council received a direction to pursue the uploading of Highway 174 and if not, to designate it as a toll highway under Subsection 40(2) of the Municipal Act, 2001 if Council so chooses in the future.{{Cite web |date=June 12, 2013 |title=OTTAWA CITY COUNCIL - MINUTES 56 |url=https://pub-ottawa.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=12872 |website=City of Ottawa}} The idea was well received by residents of Orléans.{{Cite news |date=May 30, 2013 |title=The toll of two municipalities |work=CTV Ottawa |url=https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/the-toll-of-two-municipalities-1.1304060}}
In his first term of office, Blais announced a plan to partner with the local homebuilding industry to complete an $8 million expansion of Millennium Park.{{cite news |author=Jon Willing |date=April 16, 2014 |title=Plans underway for $8M east-end Ottawa park |newspaper=Ottawa Sun |url=http://www.ottawasun.com/2014/04/16/plans-underway-for-8m-east-end-ottawa-park}}
In 2014, Blais was named Chair of the City of Ottawa Transit Commission. The Transit Commission is the body charged with oversight of the City's public transit provider OC Transpo.{{cite news |last1=Willing |first1=Jon |title=New transit chair tasked with LRT prep and growing ridership |url=https://ottawasun.com/2014/12/17/new-transit-chair-tasked-with-lrt-prep-and-growing-ridership |agency=Ottawa Sun |date=Dec 17, 2014}}
Blais was re-elected in the 2014 and 2018 municipal elections.{{cite news |last=Provencher |first=Norman |date=October 22, 2018 |title=Stephen Blais cruises to re-election in Cumberland ward |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/stephen-blais-cruises-to-re-election-in-cumberland-ward |work=Ottawa Citizen |location=Ottawa, Ontario |access-date=December 11, 2023}}
= Provincial Politics =
In October 2019, Blais announced that he would be seeking the Liberal nomination for the provincial riding of Orléans, which had been left vacant when Marie-France Lalonde stepped down to run for the federal Liberal Party.{{cite news |last=Chianello |first=Joanne |date=October 10, 2019 |title=Blais running for Liberal nomination in Orléans |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/blais-running-for-liberal-nomination-in-orl%C3%A9ans-1.5316080 |publisher=CBC News |access-date=October 10, 2019 }} He won the nomination on November 9.{{cite news |last=Duffy |first=Andrew |date=November 9, 2019 |title=Orléans Liberals nominate Coun. Stephen Blais for provincial byelection |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/orleans-liberals-nominate-coun-stephen-blais-for-provincial-by-election |work=Ottawa Citizen |access-date=November 9, 2019 }} Blais won the February 27 by-election with 55 per cent of the vote, defeating his nearest rival, Progressive Conservative candidate Natalie Montgomery, by more than 8,000 votes.{{cite news |author= |title=Stephen Blais keeps Orléans Liberal red |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/orleans-bylection-ontario-2020-1.5476657 |publisher=CBC News |location=Ottawa |date=February 27, 2020 |access-date=February 28, 2020 }} This is the largest majority in Orléans in more than 30 years.{{cite news |author= |title=Decisive victory sends Blais to Queen's Park |url=https://issuu.com/orleansstar/docs/orleans_star_march_5 |publisher=Orléans Star |location=Ottawa |date=March 5, 2020}}
Blais has served as the Ontario Liberal critic for several areas:{{cite news |author= |title=Ontario Liberals Announce Updated Critic Roles |url=https://ontarioliberal.ca/ontario-liberals-announce-updated-critic-roles/ |publisher=Ontario Liberal Party |location=Toronto |date=September 25, 2023 |access-date=Nov 6, 2023 }}
- Caucus Chair
- Municipal Affairs and Housing
- Education
- Economic Development and Trade
As of July 7, 2024, he serves as the Liberal Party critic for Infrastructure and Municipalities and as the critic for Labour and Skills Training.
In 2021, Blais introduced a private member's bill, Uploading Highways 174 and 17 Act, 2021, to return Highway 174 and Highway 17 back to provincial jurisdiction. The two highways had been downloaded to the municipal governments in the 1990s.{{cite web |url=https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-2/bill-26 |title=Bill 26, Uploading Highways 174 and 17 Act, 2021 |author= |date= |website= |publisher=Legislative Assembly of Ontario |access-date=December 10, 2023}}{{cite news |last=Pringle |first=Josh |date=October 27, 2021 |title=MPP calls on Ontario to take over responsibility of Hwy. 174 in Ottawa's east end |url=https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/mpp-calls-on-ontario-to-take-over-responsibility-of-hwy-174-in-ottawa-s-east-end-1.5641034 |work=CTV News |location=Ottawa, Ontario |access-date=December 10, 2023}}
He was re-elected in the 2022 Ontario election.{{cite news |author= |date=June 2, 2022 |title=Liberal Stephen Blais re-elected in Orléans |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ontario-election-2022-orl%C3%A9ans-results-1.6472665 |work=CBC News |location=Ottawa, Ontario |access-date=December 10, 2023}}
Personal life
Blais and his wife Marta have one son. They live in the Chaperal neighbourhood.{{cite news |author=Jon Willing |date=October 22, 2018 |title=Ottawa Votes: What you need to know about the candidates in Cumberland |newspaper=Ottawa Citizen |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ottawa-votes-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-candidates-in-cumberland}}
On January 7, 2013, while working out at a local gym, Blais suffered a heart attack. He was initially treated at Montfort Hospital before being transferred to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Blais spent four months in hospital recovering.{{Cite news |date=April 30, 2013 |title=Councillor discharged from hospital after heart attack |work=CBC Ottawa |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/councillor-discharged-from-hospital-after-heart-attack-1.1332576}}
Election results
=Provincial=
{{2025 Ontario general election/Orléans}}
{{2022 Ontario general election/Orléans}}
{{CANelec/top|ON|February 27, 2020|Orléans (provincial electoral district)|Orléans|percent=yes|change=yes|by=yes|reason=Resignation of Marie-France Lalonde|riding=Orléans}}
{{CANelec|ON|Liberal|Stephen Blais|14,303|55.01|+15.96}}
{{CANelec|ON|PC|Natalie Montgomery|5,945|22.87|−12.33}}
{{CANelec|ON|NDP|Manon Parrot|3,888|14.95|−6.99}}
{{CANelec|ON|Green|Andrew West|1,527|5.87|+3.37}}
{{CANelec|ON|Libertarian|Jean-Serge Brisson|177|0.68|+0.06}}
{{CANelec|ON|NOTA|Keegan Bennett|100|0.38|}}
{{CANelec|ON|Pauper|John Turmel|32|0.12|}}
{{CANelec|ON|Ontario Alliance|Gerrie Huenemoerder|28|0.11|}}
{{CANelec/total|Total valid votes|26,000|}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Total rejected ballots|||}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Turnout||23.53|−39.24}}
{{Canadian election result/total|Eligible voters|110,519}}
{{CANelec/hold|ON|Liberal|+14.15}}
{{end}}
=Municipal=
| class="wikitable"
|+ Ward 19 - Cumberland (2018) |
| scope="col" style="width: 170px"|Candidate
! scope="col" style="width: 50px"|Votes ! scope="col" style="width: 40px"|% |
|---|
| style="font-weight: bold;"
|Stephen Blais (X) |11,230 |89.08% |
| Cameron Rose Jette
|741 |5.88% |
| Jensen Boire
|636 |5.04% |
| class="wikitable"
|+ Ward 19 - Cumberland (2014) |
| scope="col" style="width: 170px"|Candidate
! scope="col" style="width: 50px"|Votes ! scope="col" style="width: 40px"|% |
|---|
| Stephen Blais (X)
|9,446 |78.03% |
| Marc Belisle
|2,659 |21.96% |
| class="wikitable"
|+ Ward 19 - Cumberland (2010) |
| scope="col" style="width: 170px"|Candidate
! scope="col" style="width: 50px"|Votes ! scope="col" style="width: 40px"|% |
|---|
| style="font-weight: bold;"
|Stephen Blais |6,358 |52.36% |
| Rob Jellett (X)
|5,282 |43.49% |
| Patrick Paquette
|504 |4.15% |
= School Board =
| class="wikitable"
|+ Zone 3 (Wards 1, 19) (2006) |
| scope="col" style="width: 170px"|Candidate
! scope="col" style="width: 50px"|Votes ! scope="col" style="width: 40px"|% |
|---|
| style="font-weight: bold;"
|Stephen Blais |3,124 |55.30% |
| Des Curley (X)
|2,525 |44.70% |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Ontario MPPs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blais, Stephen}}
Category:Canadian Roman Catholics
Category:Franco-Ontarian people
Category:Ontario Liberal Party MPPs
Category:Ontario school board trustees
Category:Ottawa city councillors
Category:University of Ottawa alumni
Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario