John O’Toole was born on a family farm near Peterborough. A graduate of the University of Toronto, he worked for General Motors of Canada for over 30 years in a variety of management positions in Ontario and Quebec.
John and his wife, Peggy, have lived in Bowmanville and Port Perry for over 25 years. They have five children (all married) and nine grandchildren. Peggy retired from teaching in 2006.
John O’Toole has over 20 years experience in public office. In 1982 he was elected as a School Trustee, and eventually as Municipal Councillor, Durham Regional Councillor and Member of Provincial Parliament.
At a time when leadership matters for a strong Ontario, John has the solid experience and leadership background at all levels of government and business.
John was first elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1995 as the Member for Durham East. In 1999, he was re-elected to represent the new riding of Durham. He has served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations.
John O’Toole is currently the MPP for the Riding of Durham, having been re-elected for a fifth consecutive term in October, 2011. He has served as Energy Critic and is currently the opposition’s Accountability Critic at Queen’s Park. He is also Deputy Whip for the Official Opposition.
John is a strong advocate for his constituents in the Durham Riding. John successfully introduced and passed a Private Member’s Bill allowing owners of vintage vehicles to display Year of Manufacture licence plates. He has also introduced Private Members Bills on the safe use of cell phones while driving and Irish Heritage Day. He is a strong advocate for initiatives that support the environment, such as his Private Member’s Bill on regulating paper fibre biosolids, as well as other legislation. One of the first pieces of proposed legislation to give commuters a tax break when using public transit was subsequently adopted by the federal government.
John’s experience at Queen’s Park includes:
- The Cabinet Committee on Environment and Energy
- The Electricity Conservation and Supply Task Force
- The Select Committee on Ontario Hydro Nuclear Affairs
- The Select Committee on Alternative Fuel sources
- The Ontario Gas Prices Review Task Force (Co-Chair)
- The Red Tape Commission
John’s community volunteer experience has included municipal and provincial library boards, the Conservation Authority, the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC), and the Bowmanville Museum Board. It is his privilege to represent the people in the great Riding of Durham, which now includes Clarington, Scugog and Uxbridge.
