He worked in the purchasing and plant management department of the Wentworth County Board of Education and served 10 years as Local 1572 president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
The family was left with $50,000 in medical bills which was eventually paid with funds raised amongst the local community and donations from all three parties of the Legislative Assembly.
[4] In the 1990 provincial election Abel ran as the New Democrat candidate in the riding of Wentworth North defeating incumbent government house leader, Chris Ward.
[5] Although it received second reading and passage through the Social Development Committee the following year, it failed to pass through the legislature before the government was defeated in the 1995 election.
[citation needed] He later worked for the City of Kawartha Lakes as Senior Licensing Officer/Municipal Law Enforcement Officer and Deputy Division Registrar until his retirement in 2012.