Donald Cousens was a politician in Ontario, Canada.
18 Facts About Don Cousens
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Don Cousens was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1994, and briefly served as a cabinet minister in the government of Frank Miller.
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From 1994 to 2006, Cousens was the Mayor of Markham, Ontario.
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Don Cousens was educated at Queen's University and Knox College at the University of Toronto.
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Don Cousens was a member of the then York Region Board of Education from 1972 to 1979, eventually serving as chair in 1979.
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Don Cousens died in hospital on Thursday February 23,2017 at aged 78.
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Don Cousens was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election, defeating Liberal Alf Stong in the riding of York Centre.
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Don Cousens served as a backbench supporter of Bill Davis's government for four years.
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Don Cousens initially supported Dennis Timbrell to succeed Davis in the Progressive Conservative Party's 1985 leadership convention, but crossed over to Frank Miller on the last ballot.
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Don Cousens was named parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Citizenship and Culture on February 25,1985, shortly after Miller was sworn in as Premier of Ontario.
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Don Cousens was re-elected in the 1985 provincial election, but the Progressive Conservatives were reduced to an unstable minority government.
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Don Cousens defeated Liberal candidate Gail Newall by fewer than 1,000 votes in the new riding of Markham.
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Don Cousens served as his party's critic for Environment, Finance, and Citizenship, Race Relations and Human Rights at various times in next parliament.
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Don Cousens criticized Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament John Sola in 1991, after Sola made comments about Canadian Serbs that were generally regarded as racist.
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Don Cousens once brought forward a private member's bill to outlaw smoking in public places.
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Don Cousens resigned his seat in the legislature on September 30,1994 to campaign for mayor of Markham.
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Unlike Mike Harris's provincial government, Don Cousens was a supporter of photo radar to discourage speeding in the Greater Toronto Area.
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On June 1,2006 Don Cousens announced that he would not seek re-election as Mayor of Markham due to on-going health problems related to the need for a kidney transplant.