1. John Philip Gerretsen was born on June 9,1942 and is a former politician in Ontario, Canada.
24 Facts About John Gerretsen
1. 2.
John Gerretsen was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2014 who represented the eastern Ontario riding of Kingston and the Islands.
3.
John Gerretsen served as a Minister in the Cabinets of Premiers Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne.
4.
John Gerretsen was educated at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, receiving a BA degree in 1964 and an LL.
5.
John Gerretsen subsequently worked as a solicitor, serving with Manulife Insurance Company in Toronto from 1969 to 1970.
6.
John Gerretsen was elected as a Kingston Alderman in 1972, and remained on the City Council until 1980.
7.
John Gerretsen was elected Mayor of the city in 1980, and was re-elected twice before stepping down in 1988.
8.
John Gerretsen was President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario from 1986 to 1987, and a trustee of Queen's University from 1981 to 1992.
9.
John Gerretsen became active in politics at the provincial and federal levels.
10.
John Gerretsen was an Executive Member of the Ontario Liberal Party's Kingston and the Islands riding association from 1989 to 1993, and was President of the Liberal Party of Canada's federal riding association from 1993 to 1995.
11.
John Gerretsen was elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1995, defeating Progressive Conservative candidate Sally Barnes and incumbent New Democrat Gary Wilson in Kingston and the Islands.
12.
The general election was won by the Progressive Conservatives and John Gerretsen entered parliament as a member of the opposition, serving as Opposition Critic on Municipal Affairs and Housing and Chief Opposition Whip.
13.
John Gerretsen was generally regarded as being on the right-wing of the party, and achieved some support in his home base of eastern Ontario.
14.
John Gerretsen placed fifth out of seven candidates on the first ballot, and dropped out after the second ballot.
15.
John Gerretsen was easily re-elected in the 1999 provincial election, although the Progressive Conservatives were again victorious across the province.
16.
John Gerretsen continued as Opposition Whip, and remained a vocal Liberal MPP for the next four years.
17.
John Gerretsen was the primary spokesperson for the McGuinty government in its controversial decision to permit further housing expansion on the Oak Ridges Moraine, despite an election promise not to do so.
18.
John Gerretsen was retained as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
19.
On October 29,2007, John Gerretsen was appointed as Minister of the Environment.
20.
John Gerretsen won re-election in the October 6,2011 election.
21.
John Gerretsen was appointed Attorney General of Ontario and was re-appointed when Kathleen Wynne became premier in early 2013.
22.
On October 25,2013, John Gerretsen announced that he would not run in the next election.
23.
Just before his retirement at the June 2014 election, John Gerretsen was moved from the Attorney-General portfolio to that of Chair of Cabinet.
24.
On March 19,2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic, John Gerretsen tested positive for COVID-19, with his wife Assunta testing positive earlier that week, after they were both repatriated to Canada from the Grand Princess cruise ship; they were quarantined at CFB Trenton.