John and his wife Ria owned and operated a dairy farm just outside of Earlton from 1984 to 2012. John was first elected to represent Timiskaming Cochrane in October 2011 and re-elected in 2014, 2018 and 2022.

The Vanthof’s have four children, Stephanie is a Member Services Representative with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Alex is an underwater diver who works across Ontario, Dana is a corporate lawyerand Vicky is finishing her PHD at the University of Waterloo.

John’s public service career started with his election to the Temiskaming Dairy Producer Committee where he served for 20+ years as director, secretary and several years as Chairman. In 2004, John was elected to the Board of Dairy Farmers of Ontario and when Thornloe Cheese was threatened with closure he played a key role in its rebirth.

John also served 12 years on municipal council in his home township of Evanturel, but he is most widely recognized for his ten-year term as President of the Temiskaming Federation of Agriculture. During that time, the Federation represented the agricultural community on some major concerns with the most notable issue being the Adams Mine Landfill debate. The critical analysis of the Ministry of Environment’s approval, commissioned by the Federation, was one of the catalysts that stopped the project.

John was a member of the Board of Directors for the 2009 International Plowing Match and served as the Education Committee Chair where his main responsibility was the student educational program. He also sat on the Board of the Englehart and District Hospital, the fundraising committee for the Englehart Family Health Clinic and served as vice chair for the Temiskaming Foundation.

Currently, he is the opposition house leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party and sits on various committees including the Board of Internal Economy where he is a commissioner. John has been the member of Provincial Parliament for the District of Timiskaming for the past 13 years and plans to run for re-election.