Alan Tonks
| Alan Tonks | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for York South—Weston |
|
|
In office November 27, 2000 – May 2, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | John Nunziata |
| Succeeded by | Mike Sullivan |
| 6th Metro Toronto Chairman | |
|
In office 1987–1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Dennis Flynn |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Mayor of York | |
|
In office 1982–1987 |
|
| Preceded by | Gayle Christie |
| Succeeded by | Fergy Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 2, 1943 Toronto, Ontario |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Cecile Tonks |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Toronto |
| Profession | Teacher |
Alan Tonks (born April 2, 1943) is a former Canadian politician. He was the Liberal MP for the federal riding of York South—Weston in Toronto from 2000 to 2011, and was the final Metro Toronto Chairman before the amalgamation of Metro Toronto into the new City of Toronto.
Tonks is the son of the late Chris Tonks, who was a mayor and alderman in what was then the Borough of York in Metropolitan Toronto. After graduating from York Memorial Collegiate Institute Alan Tonks attended York University where he earned a Master's degree in political economy and the University of Toronto where he received a Masters in Education. He spent time working for a Canadian aid agency in Jamaica before becoming a junior high teacher for the Scarborough Board of Education for several years.
Married to Cecile, Tonks has three adult children, Chris, Matthew, and Alison. His son Chris is now a trustee on the Toronto District School Board.
Tonks entered municipal politics in the 1970s and served as an alderman in York before serving as mayor from 1982 to 1988.
Due to a change in the Act governing Metropolitan Toronto, the position of Metro Chairman, beginning in 1988, had to be elected from Metro Councillors who were themselves elected to represent specific wards. Mayors continued to sit on Metro Council on an ex-officio basis but were now ineligible to be candidates for Metro Chairman as were former or non-members of Metro Council. Accordingly, incumbent Metro Chairman Dennis Flynn, a former mayor of Etobicoke, had to run for Metro Councillor in a specific ward if he wanted to remain Metro Chairman. Similarly, Tonks, who wished to become Metro Chairman, could not run for that position while being Mayor of York. Accordingly, in the 1988 municipal election, he did not run for re-election as Mayor of York and instead ran for the position of Metro Councillor representing one of York's two Metro wards.
...
Wikipedia