Robert Yuill

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Robert Frederick Murray Yuill (1924 — May 17, 2006), known as Bob Yuill, was a municipal politician in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

He served on the North York council for twenty-four years, at first as a ward councillor and later as a member of the North York Board of Control. He was also a member of the Metro Toronto council.

Background[edit]

Yuill was born in Toronto, and served in the Canadian reserve forces during World War II. He received a Commerce degree from the University of Toronto in 1948, and later operated a business forms company for twenty-five years. His son Donald Yuill was a North York City councillor for Ward 10 for the years 1988-1996.

Political career[edit]

Yuill was first elected to the North York Council in the 1964 Toronto election, following a failed bid in the 1962 Toronto election. He remained a ward councillor until 1976, when he was elected as a controller on the North York Board of Control in the 1976 Toronto election. He served as a controller until 1988, when the position was eliminated. Yuill's controller position also gave him a seat on the Metro council, where he was a close ally of Paul Godfrey. He served on the powerful Metro budget committee in the late 1970s,[1] and was also parks committee chair a member of the Canadian National Exhibition Association Board.[2] Yuill was also chair of the North York Papal Visit Committee in 1984, during John Paul II's visit to the city.[3]

Yuill was a fiscal conservative. He opposed plans for Metro Toronto to provide financial aid to university students, and once described a proposed 34% raise for Metro managers as "baloney".[4] He also supported an extension of the Spadina Expressway to downtown Toronto, arguing "Suburbs were designed for cars".[5]

He also held socially conservative views on some issues. During the 1970s, he recommended that North York Mayor Mel Lastman give a Mayor's Medallion to anti-gay rights advocate Anita Bryant during her visit to the city. Lastman declined.[6] In 1985, he tried to convince Metro Council to cancel its grant to the Toronto Counselling Centre for Lesbians and Gays.[7] Yuill also supported an early workfare scheme in 1979, which was rejected by the Metro Council.[8] In 1988, he supported a ban on Now Magazine from parts of city hall as a response to the journal's adult-themed personal ads.[9] He also argued that Toronto's police should be allowed to use "strong-arm tactics" to combat the city's drug problem.[10] He opposed the extension of Sunday shopping, and was skeptical of affirmative action.[11] In 1986, he was one of seven Metro Councillors to oppose a boycott of goods from South Africa.[12]

Yuill opposed the construction of the Skydome in downtown Toronto, arguing that its location would lead to increased traffic jams.[13]

Toronto's municipal government system was significantly changed in 1988, with the introduction of direct elections to the Metro Council and the elimination of control boards. Yuill ran for North York Ward 8 councillor in the 1988 Toronto election, saying "I don't want to go down to Metro. I don't like it anymore. They're reckless spenders."[14] He was defeated by Joanne Flint, a political newcomer, and was subsequently appointed as chair of the newly created North York Parking Authority.[15]

Death[edit]

Yuill died of heart failure in May 2006, at the age of 82. He was buried in Elmvale, in south Georgian Bay.

References[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ Alden Baker, "Ruling Metro: private deals, outer serenity", Globe and Mail, 3 January 1978, P1.
  2. ^ Jacquie McNish, "Metro politicians sniping at each other over 171,500 drop in CNE attendance", Globe and Mail, 26 August 1980.
  3. ^ "Car permits planned", Globe and Mail, 12 June 1984, M3.
  4. ^ Michael Smith, "Aid to students is province's job Metro decides", Toronto Star, 28 May 1986, A8; Jim Byers, "Committee urges 34 per cent hikes for Metro managers", Toronto Star, 8 November 1986, A6.
  5. ^ Marina Strauss, "Hopefuls want end to chaos in North York", Globe and Mail, 30 October 1980, P4.
  6. ^ Dick Beddoes, "Love? Ha! 'Twas all lies", Globe and Mail, 5 January 1978, P8.
  7. ^ "133 Metro groups given civic grants worth $2 million", Globe and Mail, 29 May 1985, M5. Yuill argued that the grant was discriminatory against heterosexuals. He also opposed municipal grants for AIDS support.
  8. ^ Dick Beddoes, "Job maker? Could be", Globe and Mail, 31 January 1979, P8.
  9. ^ David Lewis Stein, "Flap over Now ban has turned quite nasty", Toronto Star, 24 March 1988, A29.
  10. ^ Michael Smith, "'Get tough' in the war on drugs Metro told", Toronto Star, 15 June 1988, A6.
  11. ^ Michael Best, "North York council divided on Sunday shopping plebiscite", 3 February 1988, A7; Dyanne Rivers, "Controllers wary of affirmative action", Globe and Mail, 27 September 1984, M5.
  12. ^ "Metro rejects South African goods", Toronto Star, 16 April 1986, A6. Yuill argued that the anti-apartheid measure would actually be harmful to South African blacks.
  13. ^ Geoffrey York, "Metro defeats bid to reopen discussion on dome contribution", Globe and Mail, 13 October 1984, P17.
  14. ^ Bruce DeMara, "Status quo important in posh North York ward", Toronto Star, 21 October 1988, A7.
  15. ^ Gail Swainson, "North York's parking authority a patronage haven: councillor", 1 March 1990, N5. Councillor Anthony Perruzza described this as a patronage appointment.
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