W. Donald Cousens (20 July 1938 – 23 February 2017) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1981 to 1994, and briefly served as a cabinet minister in the government of Frank Miller. From 1994 to 2006, Cousens was the Mayor of Markham, Ontario. Background Cousens was educated at Queen's University and Knox College at the University of Toronto. An ordained Presbyterian Minister (he served 1966 to 1968 in Penetanguishene, Ontario) and interim minister at St. Andrews Presbyterian, Markham. He was also an officer in the Canadian Forces (Commandant in the Fort Henry Guard), he then served as an executive from 1967 to 1992 (firstly with Honeywell Ltd.) before entering political life, and later became a chair of the York Technology Association. From 1965 to 1967 he was a trustee for Penetanguishene. He was a member of the then York Region Board of Education from 1972 to 1979, eventually serving as chair in 1979. Cousens died in hospital on Thursday February 23, 2017 at aged 78. Provincial politics Cousens was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1981 provincial election, defeating Liberal Alf Stong in the riding of York Centre. He served as a backbench supporter of Bill Davis's government for four years. Cousens initially supported Dennis Timbrell to succeed Davis in the Progressive Conservative Party's 1985 leadership convention, but crossed over to Frank Miller on the last ballot. He was named parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Citizenship and Culture on February 25, 1985, shortly after Miller was sworn in as Premier of Ontario. Cousens was re-elected in the 1985 provincial election, but the Progressive Conservatives were reduced to an unstable minority government. He was appointed Minister of Correctional Services on May 17, but accomplished little of consequence before the Miller government was defeated in the house in June. Along with other members of the Tory caucus, he moved to the opposition benches as Liberal leader David Peterson became Premier. The Progressive Conservatives were reduced to only 16 seats in the 1987 provincial election. Cousens defeated Liberal candidate Gail Newall by fewer than 1,000 votes in the new riding of Markham. In the 1990 provincial elections, Cousens scored a victory over Liberal Frank Scarpitti, winning by more than 10,000 votes. The Progressive Conservatives as a whole managed only a modest recovery, however, increased their caucus size from