Ian J. Arthur[1] (born December 20, 1984) is a former Canadian politician, first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election.[2] He represented the riding of Kingston and the Islands as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party. He was officially sworn in as the Member of Provincial Parliament on July 10, 2018. As a member of the Official Opposition, Arthur currently serves on the Finance and Economic Affairs committee of the Legislative Assembly. He served as the Official Opposition Critic for the Environment until February 1, 2021, when he was appointed the Critic for Small Business Recovery and Reopening Main Street.
Ian Arthur | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Critic, Environment and Sustainability | |
| In office August 23, 2018 – February 1, 2021 | |
| Leader | Andrea Horwath |
| Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament for Kingston and the Islands | |
| In office June 7, 2018 – May 3, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Sophie Kiwala |
| Succeeded by | Ted Hsu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 20, 1984 |
| Political party | New Democratic |
| Residence(s) | Kingston, Ontario |
| Education | Trent University |
| Occupation | Executive Chef |
Prior to being elected, he was the executive chef at well-known Kingston restaurant Chez Piggy and coached rowing for Queen's University.[3]
Background
editArthur was born in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, on December 20, 1984. Moving with his parents at age two to Lyndhurst, Ontario, Arthur grew up on a small organic market garden and farm. He attended Sydenham High School before studying International Development and Political Studies at Trent University. While completing his undergraduate degree, Arthur studied abroad at the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana and interned with the Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana. Arthur was the former head chef of the Chez Piggy restaurant in Kingston. Arthur is a former member of the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox, and Addington Food Policy Council. He is a member of the Kingston Action Group for a Basic Income Guarantee and sits on the board of directors for Switch Kingston, a Kingston-based not-for-profit association that promotes job creation and investment in sustainable energy.
Provincial politics
editArthur secured the Ontario NDP nomination on March 1, 2018.[4] He defeated Georgina Riel and Rob Matheson in the first round of voting to secure the nomination. In the 2018 Ontario general election, Arthur was elected in Kingston and the Islands, defeating Ontario Liberal candidate Sophie Kiwala by 6,385 votes. This is the first time Kingston and the Islands elected a New Democrat since Gary Wilson won the riding in the 1990 Ontario general election.
After being elected, Arthur was appointed as Official Critic for Environment and Sustainability. As an advocate for fighting climate change, Arthur highlighted in his speeches in Legislature numerous environmental and ecological issues with several Progressive Conservative bills. He was named to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. In 2019 Arthur was appointed to the Executive of the Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference by Speaker Ted Arnot.
On December 14, 2021, Arthur announced he would not seek re-election in the 2022 Ontario general election.[5] The riding returned to the Liberals when former MP Ted Hsu defeated Arthur's previous NDP nominee (2011 and 2014) Mary Rita Holland in the election.
Electoral record
edit| 2018 Ontario general election: Kingston and the Islands | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | ||||
| New Democratic | Ian Arthur | 21,788 | 39.16 | +9.73 | ||||
| Liberal | Sophie Kiwala | 15,312 | 27.52 | −14.54 | ||||
| Progressive Conservative | Gary Bennett | 14,512 | 26.08 | +5.28 | ||||
| Green | Robert Kiley | 3,574 | 6.42 | −0.81 | ||||
| Libertarian | Heather Cunningham | 274 | 0.49 | |||||
| Trillium | Andre Imbeault | 184 | 0.33 | |||||
| Total valid votes | 55,644 | 99.09 | ||||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined ballots | 510 | 0.91 | ||||||
| Turnout | 56,154 | 57.29 | ||||||
| Eligible voters | 98,020 | |||||||
| New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | +12.14 | ||||||
| Source: Elections Ontario[6] | ||||||||
References
edit- ^ @ONPARLeducation (13 July 2022). "Within the halls of the Legislature are walls that contain the names of every Member of Provincial Parliament elected to Ontario's Legislature since 1867. The names for the 42nd Parliament were recently added. For the first time a Member's name was inscribed in Oji-Cree syllabics" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "NDP's Ian Arthur elected in Kingston and the Islands". CBC News Ottawa, June 7, 2018.
- ^ Iain Sherriff-Scott, "Q&A with provincial NDP nominee Ian Arthur". Queen's Journal, March 9, 2018.
- ^ Elliot Ferguson (March 2, 2018). "Arthur captures provincial NDP nomination". The Kingston Whig-Standard. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "NEW: Another Ontario NDP MPP announces he's not running in next June's election, Kingston and the Islands' @IanArthurMPP, first elected in 2018. Says he will be stepping back "to pursue business opportunities in Kingston." #onpoli". Laura Stone. December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. Retrieved 16 January 2019.