Wayne Wettlaufer

Wettlaufer obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph. He worked as an insurance manager for K.W. Insurance in 1963, and as an insurance inspector for Waterloo Mutual and Gore Mutual, Ottawa in 1972. He was promoted to corporate marketing manager with Gore Mutual, Cambridge in 1980, and became a partner in the firm of Wettlaufer, Collins, Rankin Insurance Brokers in 1984. He remained a member of this firm until winning political office in 1995.{{fact|date=November 2024}}

Wettlaufer was elected to the Ontario legislature for the riding of Kitchener in the provincial election of 1995, defeating Liberal candidate Bryan Stortz by over 3,000 votes.{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1995_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=36&rec=0&district=kitchener&flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=8 June 1995}} The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in this election and Wettlaufer served as a backbench supporter of the Mike Harris government.

In 1996, the Harris government reduced the number of ridings from 130 to 103. This change meant that sitting MPPs had to compete against one another for re-nomination in some ridings. Wettlaufer ran for the Kitchener Centre PC nomination in 1999 defeating fellow PC member Gary Leadston.{{cite news |title=Analysis The key ridings to watch for clues to who's winning |last=Urquhart |first=Ian |newspaper=Toronto Star |date=3 June 1999 |page=1}} Wettlaufer was re-elected in the provincial election of 1999, defeating Liberal Berry Vrbanovic by over 4,000 votes in the redistributed riding of Kitchener Centre.{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/1999_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=37&rec=0&district=kitchener+centre&flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=3 June 1999 |accessdate=2014-03-02}}{{Cite web |url= http://www.cbc.ca/ontariovotes2003/riding/037/ |title=Ontario Votes 2003 |publisher=CBC News |accessdate=29 January 2011}} He was appointed to the position of deputy whip after the election, and continued in his role as a backbencher throughout his time in the legislature.

As a backbencher, he passed a Private Member's Bill designating the day after Thanksgiving in each year as German Pioneers Day in Ontario.{{Cite web |url=http://german-canadian-business.com/en/pioneer.php |title=German Pioneers Day |work=German-Canadian Business & Professional Association of Kitchener-Waterloo |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317184352/http://german-canadian-business.com/en/pioneer.php |archivedate=17 March 2012}} In the provincial election of 2003, Wettlaufer lost to Liberal candidate John Milloy by just over 2,000 votes.{{cite web |url=http://results.elections.on.ca/results/2003_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=38&rec=0&district=kitchener+centre&flag=E&layout=G |title=Summary of Valid Ballots by Candidate |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=2 October 2003 |accessdate=2014-03-02 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150619202606/http://results.elections.on.ca/results/2003_results/valid_votes.jsp?e_code=38&rec=0&district=kitchener+centre&flag=E&layout=G |archivedate=19 June 2015 }}

Wettlaufer endorsed Frank Klees for the leadership of the Ontario PC Party in 2004 and 2009. In 2005, he vied for the PC nomination in the Federal riding of Kitchener-Conestoga. He lost to Harold Albrecht who went on to win the contest in the Canadian election of 2006.{{cite news |title=Region's candidates ready to go |last=Pink |first=Dave |newspaper=The Record |location=Kitchener, Ont |date=12 May 2005 |page=A1}}

In 2012, as president of the Ontario chapter of the German-Canadian Congress, Wettlaufer defended accused war criminal Helmut Oberlander who was stripped of his Canadian citizenship. Wettlaufer said, "The court case did not prove beyond a doubt that he was a war criminal."{{cite news |title=Oberlander in top 10 of war crimes suspects |last=Outhit |first=Jeff |newspaper=Waterloo Region Record |date=5 May 2012 |page=A1}} On 3 July 2013, Wettlaufer stirred controversy with a tweet, later deleted, that claimed female electors vote for the Liberal Party because they "get all their information from the Toronto Star" and are "less informed".{{cite web|url=http://globalnews.ca/news/691118/ontario-conservative-candidate-criticized-for-tweet/|title=Ontario conservative candidate criticized for tweet|work=Global News|accessdate=31 July 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/07/03/wayne-wettlaufer-pc-tweet_n_3542146.html |title=Wayne Wettlaufer, Ontario PC Candidate, Enrages Twitter With Comment |work=Huffington Post |accessdate=13 July 2013}}

He was a candidate in the provincial election of 2014 in his old riding of Kitchener Centre.{{cite news |title=Preparing for a provincial election: Local riding associations get ready in case spring budget is defeated, triggering vote |last=Herhalt |first=Chris |newspaper=Waterloo Region Record |date=15 April 2013 |page=B1}} During the election campaign Wettlaufer contradicted his party platform during an all candidate debate when he said that public sector jobs would be cut entirely through attrition.{{cite news |title=Local candidate contradicts PC's pledge for public sector job cuts |last=Herhalt |first=Chris |newspaper=Waterloo Region Record |date=22 May 2014 |page=B6}} He was defeated by Liberal candidate Daiene Vernile by 6,922 votes.{{cite web |title=General Election by District: Kitchener Centre |publisher=Elections Ontario |date=12 June 2014 |url=http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/general-election-district-results.aspx?d=037 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702090243/http://wemakevotingeasy.ca/en/general-election-district-results.aspx?d=037 |archivedate=2 July 2014}}{{cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-votes-2014/ontario-election-2014-liberals-secure-big-wins-in-waterloo-region-1.2673914 |title=Liberals secure big wins in Waterloo Region |publisher=CBC News |date=13 June 2014}}{{cite news |title=Vernile celebrates victory in rookie campaign |url=http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4576607-vernile-celebrates-victory-in-rookie-campaign/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140617112822/http://www.therecord.com/news-story/4576607-vernile-celebrates-victory-in-rookie-campaign/ |archivedate=17 June 2014 |work=Waterloo Region Record |first=Greg |last=Mercer |date=12 June 2014 |accessdate=8 November 2015}}

He was elected as a regional councillor for Kitchener in the 2014 election but served less than a year before his death on 21 June 2015.{{cite news |title=Regional Councillor Wayne Wettlaufer dies at 71 |url=http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/regional-councillor-wayne-wettlaufer-dies-at-71-1.2433505 |publisher=CTV News |date=21 June 2015}}

{{Election box begin | title=2014 Ontario general election}}

{{CANelec|ON|Liberal|Daiene Vernile|18,472|43.14|+3.91}}

{{CANelec|ON|PC|Wayne Wettlaufer|11,550|26.98|-11.42}}

{{CANelec|ON|NDP|Margaret Johnston|9,765|22.81|+3.99}}

{{CANelec|ON|Green|Ronnie Smith|2,472|5.77|+3.38}}

{{CANelec|ON|Libertarian|Patrick Bernier|557|1.30|+0.69}}

{{end}}

{{Election box begin | title=2003 Ontario general election}}

{{CANelec|ON|Liberal|John Milloy|18,280|42.60|+2.68}}

{{CANelec|ON|Progressive Conservatives|Wayne Wettlaufer|16,120|37.57|-12.58}}

{{CANelec|ON|NDP|Ted Martin|6,781|15.80|+8.04}}

{{CANelec |ON |Green |Luigi D'agnillo |1,728 |4.03 |+2.78}}

{{end}}

{{Election box begin | title=1999 Ontario general election}}

{{CANelec|ON|Progressive Conservatives|Wayne Wettlaufer|22,593}}

{{CANelec|ON|Liberal|Berry Vrbanovic|17,984}}

{{CANelec|ON|NDP|David Brohman|3,494}}

{{CANelec |ON |Green |Susan Koswan|561}}

{{CANelec |ON |Natural Life|Roy Anderson|204}}

{{CANelec |ON |Ind |Irvine Conner|109}}

{{CANelec |ON |Marxist-Leninist|Julian Ichim|107}}

{{end}}

{{Election box begin | title=1995 Ontario general election}}

{{CANelec|ON|Progressive Conservatives|Wayne Wettlaufer|13,374}}

{{CANelec|ON|Liberal|Bryan Stortz|9,992}}

{{CANelec|ON|NDP|Sandi Ellis|6,998}}

{{CANelec|ON|FCP|Lou Reitzel|2,111}}

{{CANelec|ON|Ind|Bob Oberholtzer|612}}

{{CANelec|ON|Ind|Frank Kerek|223}}

{{end}}

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Category:1943 births

Category:2015 deaths

Category:Politicians from Kitchener, Ontario

Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs

Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Category:University of Guelph alumni

Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario