Margery Ward

Background

Ward grew up in Bass River, New Brunswick.

Education

During this time she completed her high school diploma at night school. She attended York University where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science.

Career

She served as a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 until her death in 1993. She came from a family of eight children, six girls and two boys. She left there as a teenager after dropping out of high school and moved to Toronto.

She worked as a grocery store clerk for twenty years.

She went to work at Manufacturer"s Life Insurance Company as a data processing manager and as a computer systems designer. She was active in the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, eventually becoming secretary of the Toronto local.

Ward ran in the 1987 provincial election in the riding of Don Mills. She tried again in the 1990 provincial election and this time was elected over Velshi by 746 votes.

She said, "The current legislation provides no protection whatsoever for the tenants."

She was appointed parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Government Services on October 1, 1990 and held this position until her death from cancer in early 1993.

York University now offers a Margery Ward Memorial Bursary in Political Science.

Achievements

• She placed third behind winner Liberal Murad Velshi tallying 6,3681 votes, about 24% of the votes cast. Ward attributed her win to her opposition to the rent control system as 60% of the voters in the riding were tenants.