View source for Ed Helwer

{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix   = 
|name               = Ed Helwer
|image              = 
|imagesize          = 
|smallimage         = <!--If this is specified, "image" should not be.-->
|office            = [[Legislative Assembly of Manitoba|Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba]] for [[Gimli (electoral district)|Gimli]]
|term_start        = 26 April 1988
|term_end          = 3 June 2003
|predecessor        = [[John Bucklaschuk]]
|successor         = [[Peter Bjornson]]
|birth_name= Edward Russell Helwer
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1940|12|20}}
| birth_place        =
| death_date         = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} or {{Death-date and age|Month DD, YYYY|Month DD, YYYY}} (death date then birth date) -->
| death_place        = 
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| birthname          = 
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| party              = [[Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba|Progressive Conservative]]
}}
'''Edward Russell Helwer''' (born 20 December 1940) is a politician in [[Manitoba]], Canada.  He served as a [[Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba|Progressive Conservative]] member of the [[Manitoba legislature]] from 1988 to 2003.<ref name=lam>{{Cite web
 |url= https://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/members/mla_bio_living.html#h
 |title= Ed Helwer
 |work=MLA Biographies - Living
 |publisher=The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
 |accessdate=2 January 2011
}}</ref>  Although the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party was in power for most of this period, Helwer was never appointed to a cabinet position (though he did serve as Party Whip at one point).

Helwer was born in [[Selkirk, Manitoba|Selkirk]], Manitoba.  He worked as an [[Esso]] agent from 1963 to 1974, and was a Macleod Authorized Dealer from 1974 to 1983.  From 1976 to 1996, he was also the owner of a small business called ''Rockwood Farm Supplies''.  Helwer served as a municipal councillor in [[Teulon, Manitoba|Teulon]] from 1969 to 1973 and 1977 to 1980, and was the town's [[Mayor]] from 1980 to 1988.  He was also chair of the ''Hunter Hospital Board'' from 1977 to 1987.{{Citation needed|date=January 2011}}

Helwer first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the [[1986 Manitoba general election|1986 provincial election]], losing to [[New Democratic Party of Manitoba|New Democratic Party]] incumbent [[John Bucklaschuk]] by about 950 votes in the riding of [[Gimli (Manitoba riding)|Gimli]].<ref name=cbc>{{Cite web
 |url= http://www.cbc.ca/manitobavotes2003/riding/016/
 |title=Manitoba Votes 2003
 |work=CBC
 |accessdate=2 January 2011
}}</ref>  In the [[1988 Manitoba general election|1988 election]] (called after the NDP government lost a budget vote and held during a period of unpopularity for the party), Helwer defeated Bucklaschuk by about 1400 votes to win the riding.<ref name=lam/><ref name=cbc/>

Helwer was re-elected easily in the [[1990 Manitoba general election|1990 election]], and was able to defeat NDP challenger Fran Frederickson by about 1800 votes in [[1995 Manitoba general election|1995]].  He faced Frederickson again in the [[1999 Manitoba general election|1999 election]], and saw his majority cut to only 402 votes;<ref name=lam/><ref name=cbc/> the NDP were victorious in the province, and Helwer became Progressive Conservative critic for Government Services and Emergency Management in the opposition.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

Helwer did not seek re-election in [[2003 Manitoba general election|2003]],<ref name=lam/> and the Gimli riding was subsequently won by the New Democratic Party again.

Helwer was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web
 |url= http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/goldenjubileemedal.shtml
 |title=Manitoba Recipients of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
 |work=mhs.mb.ca
 |accessdate=2 January 2011
}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Helwer, Ed}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Selkirk, Manitoba]]
[[Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba]]

{{Manitoba-MLA-stub}}