Keith Norton
Keith Norton | |
---|---|
Ontario MPP | |
In office 1975–1985 | |
Preceded by | Syl Apps |
Succeeded by | Ken Keyes |
Constituency | Kingston and the Islands |
Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission | |
In office 1996–2005 | |
Preceded by | Rosemary Brown |
Succeeded by | Barbara Hall |
Personal details | |
Born | Claremont, Ontario | January 26, 1941
Died | January 31, 2010 Kingston, Ontario | (aged 69)
Political party | Progressive Conservative |
Occupation | Teacher, Attorney |
Keith Calder Norton (January 26, 1941 – January 31, 2010) was a Canadian politician and public servant. He served as a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1985, and was until 2005 the chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
Background
Norton was educated at Queen's University in Kingston, and worked as a lawyer after his graduation.[1]
Politics
He was elected as an alderman in Kingston in 1972, and became the city's deputy mayor in 1974.[1]
He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the
Norton was appointed to
Norton was transferred to the
The Progressive Conservatives lost government following the 1985 provincial election, and Norton was personally defeated in the Kingston and the Islands riding, losing to Keyes by more than 2,000 votes.[9]
Cabinet positions
Later life
After leaving politics in 1985, Norton became a businessman and consultant, working in the field of water purification. He attempted to return to politics in the 1990 election, running in Toronto against Liberal Attorney General Ian Scott. Norton had come out of the closet by this point,[10] and ran as an openly gay politician in the riding of St. George—St. David, which includes Toronto's Church and Wellesley neighbourhood, Canada's largest gay village.
While Scott was criticized for not being open about his sexuality, Norton was derided for opportunism, declaring himself openly gay only after he'd decided to run in a riding with a large gay population. Norton finished third, behind Scott and the NDP candidate.[11]
Human rights commissioner
In 1992, Norton was appointed to the
Final years
After leaving the OHRC, Norton went to work as a mediator/arbitrator for a company that specializes in settling disputes between parties outside of court.[12]
Norton died on January 31, 2010, of cancer.[12]
References
- ^ a b "Keith Calder Norton". Legacy. The Globe and Mail. 2010-02-06. Retrieved 2019-11-26.
- ^ "Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings". The Globe and Mail. September 19, 1975. p. C12.
- ^ "Ontario provincial election results riding by riding". The Globe and Mail. June 10, 1977. p. D9.
- ^ Allen, David (February 3, 1977). "Davis names Timbrell new health minister". The Toronto Star. p. 1.
- ^ Canadian Press (1981-03-20). "Winds of change, sea of security". The Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario. p. 22. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
- ^ Speirs, Rosemary (April 10, 1981). "Norton gets Environment as Davis shuffles Cabinet". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
- ^ Speirs, Rosemary; Stead, Sylvia; Cruikshank, John (July 6, 1983). "Shuffle gives Treasury job to Grossman". The Globe and Mail. pp. 1, 2.
- ^ "The Ontario Cabinet". The Globe and Mail. February 9, 1985. p. 4.
- ^ "Results of vote in Ontario election". The Globe and Mail. May 3, 1985. p. 13.
- ISBN 1-896357-73-3
- ^ "Ontario election: Riding-by-riding voting results". The Globe and Mail. September 7, 1990. p. A12.
- ^ a b "Former Ont. cabinet minister Keith Norton dies at 69: High-profile minister went on to champion gay rights, battle age discrimination as head of provincial human rights commission". Canadian Press. February 1, 2010.