Ed Ziemba
Encyclopedia
Ed Ziemba was an New Democratic Party
MPP in the Ontario legislature representing the provincial electoral district of High Park—Swansea.
He was first elected in the 1975 provincial election
succeeding retired NDP MPP Morton Shulman
and was re-elected in 1977
by fewer than 800 votes before being defeated in the 1981 provincial election
by Progressive Conservative
Yuri Shymko
who made in issue of Ziemba's six month expulsion from the legislature after he accused the Conservative government of persuading two opposition MPPs of giving up their seats immediately prior to the 1977 election campaign by offering them patronage positions allowing the Conservatives to win the seats. "The Tories bought those seats. Those seats have been bought and paid for on the installment plan - and it adds up to $100,000 a year," said Ziemba in 1980 in regards to appointments given to former Liberal MPPs Phil Givens and Vernon Singer
.
An outspoken and controversial politician, Ziemba spent six days in Toronto's Don Jail
in 1977 for contempt of court
when he refused to reveal his informant for allegations that the principals of Abko Laboratories were defrauding the Ontario Health Insurance Plan
. The owners of the lab were charged with fraud following a police investigation and Ziemba was called as a witness and refused to reveal his informant on the stand saying he would not betray his informant's trust. In 1976, Ziemba also sparked an uproar in the legislature when he leaked a list of 812 doctors earning more than $100,000 a year in OHIP billings.
In 1982, he attempted a political comeback by running for Toronto City Council
in Ward 1 but was unsuccessful.
Following his political career, Ziemba worked as a representative of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union in Toronto.
In the 1990 provincial election
, his sister-in-law, Elaine Ziemba
, regained the High Park—Swansea seat for the NDP.
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
MPP in the Ontario legislature representing the provincial electoral district of High Park—Swansea.
He was first elected in the 1975 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1975
The Ontario general election of 1975 was held on September 18, 1975, to elect the 125 members of the 30th Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
succeeding retired NDP MPP Morton Shulman
Morton Shulman
Morton Shulman, OC was a Canadian politician, businessman, broadcaster, columnist, coroner, and physician.-Biography:...
and was re-elected in 1977
Ontario general election, 1977
The Ontario general election of 1977 was held on June 9, 1977, to elect the 125 members of the 31st Legislative Assembly of Ontario of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
by fewer than 800 votes before being defeated in the 1981 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1981
The Ontario general election of 1981 was held on March 19, 1981, to elect members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
by Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
Yuri Shymko
Yuri Shymko
Yuri Shymko is a former politician, human rights advocate, social activist, and community leader in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Canadian House of Commons from 1978 to 1979, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1987...
who made in issue of Ziemba's six month expulsion from the legislature after he accused the Conservative government of persuading two opposition MPPs of giving up their seats immediately prior to the 1977 election campaign by offering them patronage positions allowing the Conservatives to win the seats. "The Tories bought those seats. Those seats have been bought and paid for on the installment plan - and it adds up to $100,000 a year," said Ziemba in 1980 in regards to appointments given to former Liberal MPPs Phil Givens and Vernon Singer
Vernon Singer
Vernon Milton Singer was a politician in Ontario, Canada.Singer was the son of Toronto lawyer and politician Joseph Singer who was the first Jewish-Canadian to be elected to the Toronto Board of Control....
.
An outspoken and controversial politician, Ziemba spent six days in Toronto's Don Jail
Don Jail
The Toronto Jail is a provincial jail for remanded offenders in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Riverdale neighbourhood on Gerrard Street East near its intersection with Broadview Avenue. It gets its nickname from the nearby Don River...
in 1977 for contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
when he refused to reveal his informant for allegations that the principals of Abko Laboratories were defrauding the Ontario Health Insurance Plan
Ontario Health Insurance Plan
The Ontario Health Insurance Plan is the government-run health insurance plan for the Canadian province of Ontario...
. The owners of the lab were charged with fraud following a police investigation and Ziemba was called as a witness and refused to reveal his informant on the stand saying he would not betray his informant's trust. In 1976, Ziemba also sparked an uproar in the legislature when he leaked a list of 812 doctors earning more than $100,000 a year in OHIP billings.
In 1982, he attempted a political comeback by running for Toronto City Council
Toronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
in Ward 1 but was unsuccessful.
Following his political career, Ziemba worked as a representative of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union in Toronto.
In the 1990 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1990
The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....
, his sister-in-law, Elaine Ziemba
Elaine Ziemba
Elaine Ziemba is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995, and served as a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.-Background:...
, regained the High Park—Swansea seat for the NDP.