Dwight Ball facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Dwight Ball
Premier Dwight Ball in November 2016
13th Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
In office 14 December 2015 – 19 August 2020
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Lieutenant Governor	Frank Fagan Judy Foote
Preceded by	Paul Davis
Succeeded by	Andrew Furey
Minister of Intergovernmental and Indigenous Affairs
In office 8 November 2018 – 19 August 2020
Preceded by	position established
Succeeded by	position abolished
Minister Responsible for Labrador Affairs
In office 8 November 2018 – 19 August 2020
Preceded by	position established
Succeeded by	Lisa Dempster
Minister of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs
In office 14 December 2015 – 8 November 2018
Preceded by	Keith Russell
Succeeded by	position abolished
Leader of the Opposition
In office 17 November 2013 – 14 December 2015
Preceded by	Eddie Joyce (Interim)
Succeeded by	Paul Davis
In office 3 January 2012 – 18 July 2013 Interim
Preceded by	Yvonne Jones
Succeeded by	Eddie Joyce (Interim)
Leader of the Liberal Party
In office 17 November 2013 – 3 August 2020
Preceded by	Eddie Joyce (Interim)
Succeeded by	Andrew Furey
Member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly for Humber-Gros Morne Humber Valley (2007, 2011-2015)
In office 30 November 2015 – 7 September 2020
Preceded by	district established
Succeeded by	Andrew Furey
In office 11 October 2011 – 30 November 2015
Preceded by	Darryl Kelly
Succeeded by	district abolished
In office 13 February 2007 – 9 October 2007
Preceded by	Kathy Goudie
Succeeded by	Darryl Kelly
Personal details
Born	(1957-12-21) 21 December 1957 (age 67) Deer Lake, Newfoundland, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Profession	Pharmacist

Dwight Ball (born 21 December 1957) is a Canadian politician. He was the 13th premier of Newfoundland and Labrador from 2015 to 2020. A premier is like the leader of a province. He was also a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly (MHA), which is like a provincial parliament.

Mr. Ball represented the area of Humber Valley. He was also the leader of the Liberal Party from 2013 to 2020. On 3 January 2012, he became the Leader of the Official Opposition. This means he was the main leader of the party not in power. He was also the temporary leader of the Liberal Party.

On 5 July 2013, Mr. Ball stepped down as temporary leader. He wanted to run to be the permanent leader in the 2013 election, which he won. He officially became Premier on 14 December 2015.

On 30 November 2015, Mr. Ball's party won the election. They gained 31 seats, forming a majority government. This means they had more than half the seats. His government was re-elected in 2019, but this time with a minority government. This means they had the most seats, but not more than half.

On 17 February 2020, Mr. Ball announced he would be stepping down. A new leader, Andrew Furey, was chosen on 3 August. Mr. Furey became the new Premier on 19 August 2020.

Early Life and Career

Dwight Ball grew up in Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador. He finished high school at Elwood Regional High School. He started studying at Memorial University when he was 17. His younger brother, Dean Ball, used to be the mayor of Deer Lake.

Mr. Ball received the Bowl of Hygeia Award. This award recognized his work as a community pharmacist. He started by opening his own pharmacy in Deer Lake. Later, he bought another pharmacy in Springdale.

Besides pharmacies, Mr. Ball also owns several homes for seniors. He is also involved in building new properties and investing in new businesses. Both Deer Lake and Springdale have named him "Employer of the Year." This was for his help in creating jobs for people in the area.

Political Journey

Mr. Ball first ran for politics in 2003. He was the Liberal candidate for the Humber Valley area. He lost to Progressive Conservative candidate Kathy Goudie by a small number of votes.

When Ms. Goudie left her position, Mr. Ball ran again in a special election on 13 February 2007. At first, it was announced that another candidate, Darryl Kelly, had won. However, Mr. Ball was later declared the winner by a small margin. A new count of the votes confirmed his win.

In the next general election in 2007, Mr. Kelly defeated Mr. Ball. Four years later, in 2011, Mr. Ball ran again. This time, he narrowly won against Mr. Kelly.

Becoming a Leader

On 15 December 2011, the Liberal Party announced that Mr. Ball would be their temporary leader. He would also be the Leader of the Official Opposition. This role started on 3 January 2012. He took over from Kevin Aylward and Yvonne Jones.

Mr. Ball said he planned to run to be the permanent leader of the party. He would step down as temporary leader before the election. In May 2012, the party announced the leadership election would be in November 2013.

On 5 July 2013, Mr. Ball stepped down as temporary leader. He then ran for the permanent position. He won the election in November with 59% of the votes. Mr. Ball then led the party in the 2015 general election.

Time as Premier (2015–2020)

Mr. Ball became Premier on 14 December 2015. This happened after his Liberal Party won 31 out of 40 seats in the House of Assembly.

Even though polls showed the Progressive Conservative party was ahead, Mr. Ball's Liberal Party won the 2019 provincial election. However, they lost one seat and did not keep their majority. They became a minority government.

On 17 February 2020, Premier Ball announced he would be leaving his roles. On 3 August 2020, Andrew Furey was chosen as the new leader. Mr. Furey became Premier on 19 August 2020.

Minister of Labrador and Indigenous Affairs

After the 2015 election, Mr. Ball also became the Minister of Labrador and Indigenous Affairs. He took over from PC Keith Russell. Some people found this decision unusual. This was because no Indigenous members from Labrador were chosen for his cabinet. Also, Mr. Ball was not from Labrador or an Indigenous person himself. However, the leader of NunatuKavut, Todd Russell, supported the decision.

Public Inquiries

In December 2015, it was announced that there would be public inquiries. These inquiries would look into the deaths of Don Dunphy and Burton Winters. A public inquiry is like a big investigation to find out what happened.

The inquiry into Don Dunphy's death happened during Mr. Ball's time as Premier. The inquiry into Burton Winters' death did not.

In 2017, Premier Ball also called for a public inquiry into the Muskrat Falls project. This inquiry took place between 2018 and 2020. The person in charge of the inquiry, Commissioner Richard LeBlanc, found some important things. He said the government did not do its job well. He concluded that the project was planned to go ahead no matter what.

The Commissioner also said that the idea that Muskrat Falls was the cheapest power option was "questionable." He found that Nalcor, the company in charge, did not properly check other power options. He also stated that Nalcor hid information that could have made the project look bad to the public and the government.

2016-17 Budget

The provincial government released its budget in April 2016. A budget is a plan for how the government will spend money. This budget included measures to save money, called austerity measures. Mr. Ball and his Minister of Finance, Cathy Bennett, did not expect the province to have extra money until 2022.

Many protests against these money-saving plans happened across the province. People protested in cities like St. John's, Corner Brook, and Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Natural Resources and the Lower Churchill Project

The cost of the Lower Churchill Project had doubled since it started. This was almost ten years before Mr. Ball became Premier. The province's money situation was different when the project began. The price of oil was high, and Newfoundland and Labrador produces oil. However, the price of oil and the value of the Canadian dollar had gone down. Mr. Ball said that previous governments were responsible for the problems caused by the project.

In 2016, researchers from Harvard University found something important. They discovered that levels of methylmercury in fish would increase because of the project. Methylmercury is a harmful substance. After protests by Indigenous groups in 2016, an agreement was made. This agreement was between the government and three Indigenous groups. It set up a committee to suggest ways to reduce the harm from methylmercury.

In 2018, the committee suggested covering wetlands. This is called wetland capping. It helps stop methylmercury from being released. During the Muskrat Falls inquiry in 2019, it was revealed that the government would not complete this wetland capping. The money set aside for it was offered to the three Indigenous governments instead. Mr. Ball later said that wetland capping would only reduce methylmercury levels by a small amount.

Public Opinion

During the 2015 election, Mr. Ball's Liberal party was very popular. About 60% of people approved of his work as Premier in February 2016.

However, the 2016-17 budget greatly affected his popularity. A poll in April 2016 showed that support for all three parties was almost equal. This was a big change from just a few months earlier. By May 2016, Mr. Ball was the least popular leader in the country.

An online petition asking for Mr. Ball to resign became very popular in June 2016. But Mr. Ball said he would not resign. He also said the province would not go bankrupt. In June 2018, members of the Liberal Party voted to support Mr. Ball's leadership.

Resignation

On 17 February 2020, Mr. Ball announced he would be stepping down. This decision came after news reports linked him to a contract given without competition. The contract was for a company called Nalcor Energy.

The Liberal Party planned to choose a new leader in May 2020. However, this was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2020 Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador leadership election, Andrew Furey was chosen as the new leader. Mr. Furey became Premier on 19 August 2020. On 7 September 2020, Mr. Ball also resigned as the MHA for Humber-Gros Morne.

Electoral Record