Paul Wessenger

Wessenger attended the University of Toronto, receiving a law degree. He worked as a lawyer in Toronto for four and a half years, and then practiced in Barrie, Ontario for a further twenty-one years.^[1] From 1973 to 1976 he served as an alderman within Barrie.^[2] There is a street in Barrie named after him.^[3]

He ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1975 provincial election, coming a close second to Progressive Conservative incumbent Art Evans in the riding of Simcoe Centre.^[4] He ran again in the 1977 provincial election, losing to the PC candidate George William Taylor by a greater margin.^[5]

Wessenger ran for the House of Commons of Canada as a candidate for the federal New Democratic Party in the 1980 federal election, but finished third in the riding of Simcoe South.^[6] He ran a third provincial campaign in the 1985 provincial election, but again lost to PC candidate Earl Rowe.^[7]

The NDP won a majority government in the 1990 provincial election, and Wessenger, running for a fourth time in Simcoe Centre, defeated incumbent Liberal Bruce Owen by almost 3,000 votes.^[8] He served as parliamentary assistant to the Attorney General from 1991 to 1995 and to the Minister of Health for the remainder of his time in office.^[9]

In 1992, Wessenger and Jack Layton travelled the province to seek public consultation on changes to Ontario's Public Hospitals Act.^[10]

The NDP were defeated in the 1995 provincial election, and Wessenger finished third against PC candidate Joe Tascona.^[11]