View source for Dennis Timbrell

{{Short description|Canadian politician (born 1946)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    =[[The Honourable]]
| name              = Dennis Timbrell
| honorific-suffix    = [[Executive Council of Ontario|ECO]]
| image             =
| imagesize         =
| caption           =
| office            = [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Ontario)|Ontario MPP]]
| term_start        = 1971
| term_end          = 1987
| predecessor       = [[Stanley Randall]]
| successor         = [[Murad Velshi]]
| constituency      = [[Don Mills (electoral district)|Don Mills]]
| party             = [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]]
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1946|11|13}}
| birth_place       = [[Kingston, Ontario]], Canada
| residence         =
| occupation        = Teacher
| spouse            =
}}
'''Dennis Roy Timbrell''' (born November 13, 1946) is a [[politician]] in [[Ontario]], Canada. He was a [[Member of Provincial Parliament (Canada)|member of Provincial Parliament]] (MPP) from 1971 to 1987, and was a [[Cabinet minister]] in the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario|Progressive Conservative]] governments of [[Bill Davis]] and [[Frank Miller (Canadian politician)|Frank Miller]].

==Background==
Timbrell was born in [[Kingston, Ontario]] and educated at [[Woburn Collegiate Institute]] in [[Scarborough, Toronto|Scarborough]], [[Ontario]] and [[York University]] in [[Toronto]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.woburnalumni.ca/famous.htm |title=Famous Woburnites |publisher=Woburn Alumni Association |accessdate=May 28, 2014}}</ref> His brother Robert was an actor and performer, better known by the stage name [[Rusty Ryan (actor)|Rusty Ryan]].<ref name=xtra>{{cite web |url=http://dailyxtra.com/toronto/rusty-ryan |title=Rusty Ryan |newspaper=Xtra! |date=August 20, 2003 |accessdate=May 28, 2014 |archive-date=February 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221141727/http://dailyxtra.com/toronto/rusty-ryan |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Timbrell worked as a teacher before entering provincial politics, and served as an [[alderman]] in [[North York]] from January 1970 until September 1, 1972.

==Provincial politics==
Timbrell contested [[1971 Ontario general election|1971 provincial election]] as a candidate for the PCs, and won election in the Toronto constituency of [[Don Mills (electoral district)|Don Mills]].<ref name="1971 results">{{cite news |title=Riding-by-riding returns in provincial election |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=October 23, 1971 |page=10}}</ref> He was re-elected without difficulty in the campaigns of [[1975 Ontario general election|1975]],<ref name="1975 results">{{cite news |title=Table of vote results for all Ontario ridings |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=September 19, 1975 |page=C12}}</ref> [[1977 Ontario general election|1977]],<ref name="1977 results">{{cite news |title=Ontario provincial election results riding by riding |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=June 10, 1977 |page=D9}}</ref> [[1981 Ontario general election|1981]]<ref name="1981 Toronto Results">{{cite news|author=Canadian Press |title=Election results for Metro Toronto |newspaper=The Windsor Star |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0NtYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QlIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6285%2C1391429 |date=1981-03-20 |location=Windsor, Ontario |page=22 |accessdate=2014-04-01}}</ref> and [[1985 Ontario general election|1985]].<ref name="1985 results">{{cite news |title=Results of vote in Ontario election |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=May 3, 1985 |page=13}}</ref>

===Cabinet===
He became a [[minister without portfolio]] responsible for youth in the Davis government on February 26, 1974, making him the youngest cabinet member in the province's history.[https://www.tvo.org/article/half-a-century-ago-ontario-got-its-youngest-ever-cabinet-minister]<ref name="1974DavisCabinet">{{cite news |title=The new cabinet lines up like this |last=Dunlop |first=Marilyn |newspaper=The Toronto Star |date=February 27, 1974 |page=A3}}</ref> He was then named as [[Ministry of Energy (Ontario)|minister of energy]] on January 15, 1975.<ref name="1975DavisCabinet">{{cite news |title=2 ministers plagued by recent illnesses to take on new Cabinet responsibilities |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=January 15, 1975 |page=31}}</ref> On February 3, 1977, he was promoted to [[Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care|minister of health]], serving in this high-profile position for five years; no successor has since exceeded Timbrell's tenure in this ministry.<ref name="1977DavisCabinet">{{cite news |title=Davis names Timbrell new health minister |last1=Allen |first1=David |newspaper=The Toronto Star|date=February 3, 1977 |page=1}}</ref> He then requested a change in portfolio to [[Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Ontario)|minister of agriculture and food]] on February 13, 1982, with the aim of building a base of support in the rural areas of the province to strengthen future leadership credentials.<ref name="1982DavisCabinet">{{cite news |title=Grossman to Health Ontario Cabinet shuffled by Davis |last1=Stead |first1=Sylvia |last2=Speirs |first2=Rosemary |last3=Matas |first3=Robert |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=February 13, 1982 |page=1}}</ref>[https://www.tvo.org/article/half-a-century-ago-ontario-got-its-youngest-ever-cabinet-minister]

{{s-start}}
{{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Bill_Davis}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts |num=4

| post3preceded = [[Lorne Henderson]]
| post3         = [[Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Ontario)|Minister of Agriculture and Food]]
| post3years    = 1982–1985
| post3note     =
| post3followed = [[Philip Andrewes]]

| post2preceded = [[Frank Miller (Canadian politician)|Frank Miller]]
| post2         = [[Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care|Minister of Health]]
| post2years    = 1977–1982
| post2note     =
| post2followed = [[Larry Grossman (politician)|Larry Grossman]]

| post1preceded = [[Darcy McKeough]]
| post1         = [[Ministry of Energy (Ontario)|Minister of Energy]]
| post1years    = 1975–1977
| post1note     =
| post1followed = [[James A. Taylor|James Taylor]]
}}
{{ministry box sub-cabinet posts
| post1preceded =
| post1         = Minister Without Portfolio 
| post1years    = 1974–1975
| post1note     = Responsible for Youth
| post1followed = 
}}
{{s-end}}

===First leadership campaign===
Following Davis's resignation as PC leader and as [[Premier of Ontario|premier]], Timbrell sought the party leadership at the January 1985 [[1985 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership elections#January Convention|leadership convention]]. He positioned himself as a centre-right candidate, further to the right of [[Red Tory]] rivals [[Larry Grossman (politician)|Larry Grossman]] and [[Roy McMurtry]], but not as far to the right as Frank Miller, and therefore the candidate best able to continue Davis' pragmatic, successful style of government. (In fact, many media pundits at the time referred to Timbrell as a "clone" of Davis; playing to this, some of Timbrell's supporters at the January 1985 convention wore buttons that depicted a caricature which [[morphing|morphed]] the facial features of both Davis and Timbrell into one person). Timbrell was the only candidate to favour eliminating rent controls during the campaign. His supporters included [[Keith Norton]], [[Leo Bernier]], [[Margaret Birch]], [[Robert G. Eaton|Robert Eaton]], [[Gordon Howlett Dean|Gordon Dean]], [[Bob Welch (politician)|Bob Welch]] and [[Norm Sterling]]. Davis was officially neutral in this contest, but has since admitted that he personally voted for Timbrell.[https://www.tvo.org/article/half-a-century-ago-ontario-got-its-youngest-ever-cabinet-minister]

Timbrell placed second on the first ballot, but was eliminated when he fell to third place on the second ballot, six votes behind Grossman who had the backing of McMurtry's campaign. Dr. John Balkwill in 1987 claimed that 30 to 40 Miller supporters were instructed by the Miller campaign to vote for Grossman on the second ballot to prevent him from advancing. Lou Parsons, a senior Miller adviser, later acknowledged, "We wouldn't have won it against Dennis [...] Our winning strategy was always to be against Larry ... and in the end we were lucky."<ref>Rosemary Speirs. 1986. Out of the blue: the fall of the Tory dynasty in Ontario. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada. p. 81. {{ISBN|0-7715-9897-1}}</ref> A member of Miller's campaign has since apologized to Timbrell for this tactic. <ref>https://www.tvo.org/article/half-a-century-ago-ontario-got-its-youngest-ever-cabinet-minister</ref>

Timbrell reluctantly endorsed Grossman after the results were confirmed by a recount. He however did not bring enough delegates on the third ballot and that resulted in Miller's victory. He was retained in Miller's Cabinet as [[Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Ontario)|minister of municipal affairs and housing]] with responsibility for [[Ontario Women's Directorate|women's issues]].<ref name="1985FebMillerCab">{{cite news |title=The Ontario Cabinet |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=February 9, 1985 |page=4}}</ref>

===Second leadership campaign===
The Progressive Conservative Party under Miller's leadership was reduced to a narrow [[minority government]] in the [[1985 Ontario general election|1985 election]]. Following a cabinet shuffle on May 17, 1985, Timbrell retained his previous postings and was additionally appointed [[Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario|provincial secretary for resource development]].<ref name="1985MayMillerCab">{{cite news |title=The new Cabinet |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=May 18, 1985 |page=11}}</ref> Miller's government was defeated in the House in June, 1985. In opposition, Timbrell served as House leader of the Official Opposition and his party's critic for education and women's issues.

Miller resigned as leader, and the party called another [[1985 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership elections#November Convention|leadership convention]] for November 1985. This contest was an extremely divisive struggle between Timbrell and Grossman, which exposed deep divisions in the party. A third candidate, [[Alan Pope]], drew attention to the animosity between the candidates with his slogan, "Don't choose sides, choose Pope". [[Alan Eagleson]] was a co-chairman of Timbrell's campaign.

In this leadership race, Timbrell announced he would not support the full funding of Catholic schools (which had previously been agreed to by all parties in the legislature) unless amendments were put forward guaranteeing entry to non-Catholic teachers and students. Norm Sterling, an inveterate opponent of Catholic school funding, derided Timbrell's position as opportunistic and crossed over to Grossman.

Pope finished third on the opening ballot and some believed that he could have given Timbrell a second-ballot victory over Grossman, though Pope chose not to endorse either side. Grossman defeated Timbrell on the second ballot by nineteen votes, effectively ending Timbrell's career in provincial politics. He did not seek re-election in 1987, as his two unsuccessful leadership bids had left him with a debt of $250,000.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/dennis-timbrell-gazing-out-his-queens-park-office-the-day-news-photo/502519833 | title=Dennis Timbrell; gazing out his Queen's Park office the day he | date=18 July 2014 }}</ref>

Despite no longer being an MPP, Timbrell was seen by many as the front runner to succeed Grossman in the [[1990 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election|1990 Ontario PC Leadership Race]], but he chose not to run, instead supporting the candidacy of [[Dianne Cunningham]], who would eventually lose to [[Mike Harris]].

{{s-start}}
{{Canadian cabinet member navigational box header |ministry=Frank_Miller}}
{{ministry box cabinet posts

| post2preceded = [[Ernie Eves]]
| post2         = [[Provincial Secretary and Registrar of Ontario|Provincial Secretary for Resource Development]]
| post2years    = 1985 (May–June)
| post2note     =
| post2followed = Position abolished

| post1preceded = [[Claude Bennett]]
| post1         = [[Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Ontario)|Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing]]
| post1years    = 1985 (February–June)
| post1note     =
| post1followed = [[Bernard Grandmaître]] (Municipal Affairs)<br />[[Alvin Curling]] (Housing)
}}
{{s-end}}

==Private sector career==
Timbrell served as president of the [[Ontario Hospital Association]] from 1991 to 1995. He also served as a director of the St. Joseph's Health System (Sisters of St. Joseph, Morrow Park) from 1986 to 1988 and a director of the [[Toronto School of Theology]] from 1986 to 1992 and in 1997–2003 (vice-chairman from 1991 to 1993 and in 1997–2000, chairman from 2000 to 2003). He has served as a director of various corporations, including Cabot Trust, Confederation Leasing, Confederation Trust, Ontario Blue Cross, United Telemanagement (Canada) Corporation and Eco Power Solutions Inc.

From 2001 to 2005 Timbrell was engaged by the Ontario Ministry of Health to act as Supervisor of The Ottawa Hospital and then Investigator of The Niagara Health System and Hotel Dieu Hospital (St. Catharines) as well as Investigator of the Grand River and St. Mary's Hospitals in Waterloo Region. His work with the leadership of these hospitals resulted in renewed/revised mandates which emphasized the unique attributes of each institution while ensuring minimal overlap and with co-ordination of their respective areas of expertise.  In Ottawa Timbrell oversaw the recruitment of a complete new Board of Governors, drawn from the vast region served by TOH; having dismissed the incumbent CEO of the Hospital, he appointed a new President from the ranks of the Senior Team and created the position of Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer.

All of the Hospitals for which Timbrell was Supervisor or Investigator have gone from strength to strength in the last twenty years. He was originally appointed by a PC Government and successfully continued his roles with a Liberal Government. In his earlier role as President of the OHA, he established a very productive relationship with NDP Health Minister (now Senator) Frances Lankin which contributed to significant improvements in Ministry programs and policies directly affecting all hospitals in Ontario.

==Federal politics==
In [[1997 Canadian federal election|1997]] and again in [[2000 Canadian federal election|2000]] Timbrell campaigned for a seat in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]] as the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|federal Progressive Conservative]] candidate in the eastern Ontario riding of [[Prince Edward—Hastings (federal electoral district)|Prince Edward—Hastings]] In the 1997 federal election, Timbrell placed second to Liberal [[Lyle Vanclief]], with 21.5% of the vote.<ref name="1997results">{{cite news |title=Final Results Riding by Riding |newspaper=Calgary Herald |date=June 4, 1997 |page=A5}}</ref> In the 2000 election, Timbrell placed third with 20.3% of the vote.<ref name="2000results">{{cite news |title=Election Results |newspaper=Star - Phoenix |location=Saskatoon, SK|date=November 28, 2000 |page=A8}}</ref>

==Recognition==
In 2006, [[Toronto City Council]] voted to name the community recreation centre, aquatic centre, library and child care facility, located at 29 St. Dennis Drive, Don Mills the "Dennis R. Timbrell Resource Centre in Flemingdon Park".

Timbrell has received the following forms of recognition:

1977 - [[Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal|Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal]]

1978 - Officer of The [[Order Of St. John Of Jerusalem|Order of St. John of Jerusalem]]

1992 - Canada Confederation 125 Medal

1993 - [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta|Knight of Malta]]

2012 - [[Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal|Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==
*{{Ontario MPP biography|id=dennis-roy-timbrell}}

{{Davis Ministry}}
{{Miller Ministry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timbrell, Dennis}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Members of the Executive Council of Ontario]]
[[Category:Politicians from Kingston, Ontario]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1997 Canadian federal election]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2000 Canadian federal election]]
[[Category:Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario]]