Preceded by David Young Name David Zimmer Preceded by Christopher Bentley Role Politician | Party Ontario Liberal Party Occupation Lawyer Residence Toronto, Canada | |
Born April 7, 1944 (age 79)
Kitchener, Ontario ( 1944-04-07 ) Profiles | ||
Political party Ontario Liberal Party | ||
MPP Report- David Zimmer Interviews Dr. Tim Rutledge
David Zimmer (born April 7, 1944) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in 2003. He represents the riding of Willowdale in Toronto. He is a member of cabinet in the government of Kathleen Wynne.
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Background
Zimmer was born in the town of Kitchener, Ontario. While associated with the Toronto law firm of Ledrew Laishley Reed, he also served as an administrative law instructor in the Law Society's Bar Admission Course. From 1982 to 1984 he was Director of the Humane Society and from 1993 to 1995 was President of the Alzheimer Society of Canada. He served as chairperson of the city's public housing provider, the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. Upon the start of campaigning for elective office, he relinquished the public post of assistant deputy chair of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.
Zimmer was awarded the Greatest Local Hero Award by the North York Town Crier for his volunteer and community work in Willowdale. In 2005, he received a "Social Work Doctors’ Colloquium" Award of Merit for his work toward a just and caring society. He has also been cited for work on Ontario Municipal Board reform and the new City of Toronto Act, which gives Toronto greater power to manage its own affairs.
Politics
Zimmer first sought elected office as an alderman in Kitchener, Ontario in the 1970s but was not successful. In the 2003 Ontario provincial election, he ran as the Liberal candidate in the riding of Willowdale, defeating Progressive Conservative incumbent and sitting Attorney General David Young by 1,866 votes. He was re-elected in 2007, 2011, and 2014, increasing his share of vote and margin of victory each time.
Between 2003 and 2011, Zimmer served as Parliamentary Assistant to Attorneys General Michael Bryant and Christopher Bentley. Between 2011 and 2013, Zimmer served as Parliamentary Assistant to Kathleen Wynne, then Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. He was a member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (2003–06, 2007–11, 2012), Standing Committee on Estimates (2006–07), Standing Committee on Justice Policy (2006–11), Standing Committee on General Government (2012), Select Committee on Elections (2008–09), and Select Committee on the proposed transaction of the TMX Group and the London Stock Exchange Group (2011)
In 2004, his motion to create an "Elder Abuse Awareness Day" was passed with support from all parties. He also assisted former Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant with legislation to ban pit bulls in Ontario. In 2006, he sponsored a Private Member’s Bill which will suspend the driver’s license of anyone who is convicted of impaired boating. It passed with unanimous consent of all parties in the Ontario Legislature.
During Ontario Liberal Party's 2012-13 leadership election, Zimmer along with Linda Jeffrey, Reza Moridi and Mario Sergio, were the first four caucus supporters of Kathleen Wynne's candidacy, declaring their support at Wynne's campaign launch on November 5, 2012.
In February 2013 he was appointed to the cabinet of Kathleen Wynne as the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. On June 13, 2016, his portfolio was renamed to Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.