Education
Collins was educated at McMaster University.
Collins was educated at McMaster University.
She served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1987 to 1990, and was a cabinet minister in the government of David Peterson. From 1982 to 1987, Collins served as an alderman and regional councillor in Hamilton. Collins ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1985 provincial election, losing to incumbent New Democrat Robert West. Mackenzie by 1,600 votes in the Hamilton East constituency.
In the 1987 election, she was handily elected in the neighbouring riding of Wentworth East.
On August 2, 1989, Collins was named a minister without portfolio responsible for Handicapped Persons. She held this position for just over a year.
The Liberals were defeated by the New Democratic Party in the 1990 provincial election, and Collins lost her seat to NDP candidate Mark Morrow by 3,147 votes. She ran again in the 1995 election, but lost to Progressive Conservative Editor Doyle by 3,606 votes.
After leaving the legislature, Collins became the owner and operator of a private investigation agency.
She was appointed to the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board in 2003.
She was a special assistant to federal Member of Parliament John Munro from 1979 to 1981, and a constituency assistant to Member of Provincial Parliament Sheila Copps from 1981 to 1982. Her son Chad is a member of the Hamilton City Council. She has been a member of the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board since 2009.
