Bruce Owen

Bruce Owen (born May 24, 1931 in Chatham, Ontario) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal from 1987 to 1990.

Owen was educated at the University of Western Ontario, the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law School. He practiced law, and was an alderman in Barrie, Ontario.

He ran for the Canadian House of Commons three times as a candidate of the Liberal Party of Canada. He lost to P.B. Rynard of the Progressive Conservative Party in Simcoe North in the 1972 election, and to Progressive Conservative Ronald A. Stewart in Simcoe South in the elections of 1980 and 1984.

He first ran for the Ontario legislature in the 1967 provincial election, but lost to P.C. candidate Arthur Evans by 2,530 votes in Simcoe Centre. He ran again in the 1981 election, and lost to P.C. candidate George Taylor by a wider margin. Owen was finally elected in the 1987 election, defeating Progressive Conservative incumbent Earl W. Rowe by 2,492 votes in Simcoe Centre. He served as a backbench supporter of David Peterson's government for the next three years.

The Liberals were unexpectedly defeated in the 1990 provincial election, and Owen lost his seat to Paul Wessenger of the NDP by almost 3,000 votes. He attempted a comeback in the 1995 election, but lost to Progressive Conservative candidate Joe Tascona by 17,729 votes.

Owen is now program chairman of the Barrie Concert Association, and has presented numerous programs of classical music in the city including the "Colours of Music" festivals. Owen himself has been a vocal soloist for several churches in Barrie, and performed a solo in the papal choir when Pope John Paul II visited the city. (Owen is an Anglican, but has also performed in both Protestant and Roman Catholic venues.)

In 2005, he presented a plan to city council for a new arts theater, noting that the existing Fisher Auditorium is showing signs of age. His plan has been supported by some figures in the tourism sector.