Chris Hodgson

Chris Hodgson (born c. 1961) is a former politician in

Hodgson was the Reeve of Dysart county, winning 70% of the vote in his election,[4] and warden of Haliburton County, prior to entering provincial politics.

Hodgson was elected to the Ontario legislature in a 1994 by-election with 63% of the vote,^[5] defeating Liberal candidate Sharon McCrae by fewer than 2,000 votes in the rural riding of Victoria—Haliburton. After the by-election, there were may accusations by the Liberal opposition and media that Hodgson's team appealed to homophobic prejudice in the region to put their candidate over the top.^[6] However, Hodgson's campaign prioritized the ongoing recession, and electoral analysis shows that he was elected on the basis of the positive response to his 5-point plan, focusing on cutting red tape and taxes, downsizing government, creating a good job climate, bringing deficits under control, and reforming education.^[6][4] Meanwhile, at the time of the by-election, the Liberal Party claimed to have unequivocally supported the NDP government's plans to provide increased social benefits for same-sex couples in Bill 167. In reality, the overwhelming majority of the Liberal caucus voted against the measure, and then opposition leader Lynn McLeod was accused of "flip-flopping" when she refused to support the NDP bill on the grounds of her opposition to same-sex adoption.^[6] Then Premier Bob Rae has also since been accused of using the same-sex benefits controversy as a wedge issue, “cynically cho[osing] not to whip his majority behind the bill because he saw an opportunity to blame its failure on McLeod's Liberals” and “was more interested in stopping the then-ascendant Liberals than in advancing the cause of equality.”^[7]

After the Tories won a majority government in the

When Harris resigned as Premier in 2002, many expected Hodgson to enter the race to replace him. Instead, he endorsed Ernie Eves, the victorious candidate. He retained the Municipal Affairs and Housing portfolio in the Eves cabinet, but unexpectedly stepped down on January 13, 2003, announcing his decision to retire from politics. He did not run in the 2003 election. In 2004, he supported John Tory's successful bid to replace Eves as party leader.

Political achievements

As Minister of Natural Resources, Hodgson launched the Lands for Life initiative, which saw the largest increase in parks and protected space in the history of the province, and laid the groundwork for the government's Living Legacy program, the single biggest expansion of parks in Ontario. That year, he also reinstated the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program, which promoted environmental stewardship and economic sustainability of private forestland. Hodgson also cooperated with hunters and animal rights activists to introduce the first amended Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act in 50 years, replacing the Game and Fish Act, in an effort to toughen enforcement provisions in the industry, increase protection of a wider range of species and better manage resources.^[13] Moreover, Hodgson brought together and collaborated with Ontario trappers to form the Ontario Fur Managers Federation for the management of wild fur resources. He also created the Special Purpose Account and the Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund and Advisory Boards to earmark funding to fish and wildlife parks,^[14] and set up an account dedicated to fishing and hunting license revenues for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. He also introduced Bill 52 to make Aggregate Industry more accountable for meeting strict provincial standards and removing barriers to job creation in the sector.^[15]

As Minister, Hodgson also awarded private-sector contracts to assist firefighting and frontline health and medical services at large fire sites. He led the strategy to tackle the Land Caution in the

As Minister of Municipal Affairs, he rewrote the Municipal Act for the first time since the passage of the Baldwin Act in the late 19th century, placed protective status on the Oak Ridges Moraine and began the Smart Growth Initiative for the entire province, a program that was later renamed Places to Grow. As Minister, in conjunction with his role as Chair of the Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Housing, Hodgson persuaded the federal government to flow housing funding across the country to meet the varying needs of different regions, resulting in the construction of over 10,500 new units of affordable housing in Ontario. Hodgson also oversaw the mandate of Bill 124, ‘An act to improve public safety and to increase efficiency in building code enforcement’ under BRRAG (Building Regulatory Reform Advisory Group), which received royal assent in June 2002, and introduced legislation to help revitalize contaminated industrial sites.^[20]

In 2002, Hodgson was also responsible for Ontario's role in hosting World Youth Day, then the largest international conference held in Canada, which generated an estimated $233 million in economic spinoffs.^[21]

Ipperwash Inquiry

Shortly after assuming office, Hodgson was involved in a cabinet discussion with Harris and members of the

The

Hodgson's work on the Oak Ridges Moraine was recognized by the Environmental Commissioner with the 2001-2002 ECO Award. Hodgson and his ministry were also awarded the 2001 Canadian Urban Institute Brownie Award for leadership in policy development for Ontario's Brownfields Statute Law Amendment Act, 2001.^[26]

In 2003, the Chamber of Commerce named Hodgson Highlander of the Year for his service to Haliburton county.^[27]

He became the first MPP to have been awarded the AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) award (2003).^[28] Hodgson became the first politician to win the OFAH's Ontario Hunting Heritage Award (2003).

After politics

Following his retirement from politics, Hodgson has sat on a number of public and private boards, including the EACOM Timber Corp., Mineral Streams Inc., and the Brick Income Trust Ltd. Hodgson is currently president of the Ontario Mining Association, the provincial mining industry's trade organization.

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