Richard Johnston (politician)
| Richard Johnston | |
|---|---|
| Ontario MPP | |
|
In office 1979–1990 |
|
| Preceded by | Stephen Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Anne Swarbrick |
| Constituency | Scarborough West |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 8, 1946 Pembroke, Ontario |
| Political party | New Democrat |
| Spouse(s) | Vida Zalnieriunas |
| Residence | Prince Edward County |
| Alma mater | Trent University |
| Profession | Social worker |
Richard Frank Johnston (born August 8, 1946) is a retired Canadian provincial politician, educator and administrator.
Johnston was born in Pembroke, Ontario and grew up in Peterborough. As a young man he was active in the Anglican church and at one point considered becoming a priest. In 1964, Johnston enrolled at Trent University being the second person to register at the opening year of the university. He also worked at Trent as an administrator and counsellor. In 1967 he moved to Montreal to write fiction and poetry because as he said, "I couldn't afford Paris." After that he moved to Whitby where he became a social worker specializing in the elderly. He was the founding executive director of community care in Durham Region.
Johnston and his wife operate a vineyard and winery in Prince Edward County.
Johnston's first association with politics was in the 1970s when he worked as a campaign organizer for Stephen Lewis in Scarborough West. He was the campaign manager for the 1977 election.
When Lewis left politics, Johnston ran to succeed him as the NDP Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Scarborough West, winning election to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in a 1979 by-election. Johnston was re-elected three times before he retired in 1990. The only time he faced a serious challenge was in 1981, when he defeated Progressive Conservative John Adams by 375 votes.
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