John Snobelen was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2003, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Mike Harris.
15 Facts About John Snobelen
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John Snobelen eventually became a successful businessman, making a fortune in the waste-haulage business.
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John Snobelen was president of the Hunger Project in Canada, and an associate of the Carter Center, a human-rights organization started by former United States President Jimmy Carter.
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John Snobelen ran for the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1990, placing third behind incumbent Liberal Steve Offer and a New Democrat in Mississauga North.
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The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government in the 1995 election, and John Snobelen was appointed as Minister of Education and Training in Mike Harris's government on June 26,1995.
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Shortly after his appointment, John Snobelen was filmed arguing that the PC government needs to "bankrupt" and to create a "useful crisis" in the education system so as to initiate significant reforms.
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In 1997, John Snobelen introduced Bill 160, which gave the province control of municipal education taxes, introduced standardized testing, cut teaching preparation time, allowed the government to determine class sizes and granted early retirement initiatives to older, more experienced teachers.
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John Snobelen was moved to the Ministry of Natural Resources on October 10,1997.
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John Snobelen cancelled the Spring Bear Hunt, a decision which was opposed by many Ontario hunters but supported by animal rights groups.
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John Snobelen was re-elected in the provincial election of 1999, defeating Liberal Bob Delaney in the redistributed riding of Mississauga West.
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John Snobelen retained the Natural Resources portfolio after the election.
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John Snobelen was dropped from cabinet when Ernie Eves succeeded Harris as Premier in 2002.
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In late 2002, it was reported that John Snobelen was spending most of his time at a private cattle ranch in Oklahoma while still drawing a Member of Provincial Parliament's salary.
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John Snobelen was granted an absolute discharge in April 2008, though the judge noted that he had made a serious error in judgement.
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In 2012, John Snobelen ran for the Presidency of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, finishing second to Richard Ciano.