After he retired from politics, he served on the Ontario government's Environmental Assessment Board as one of its vice chairs.

Prior to his political career, Martel was a teacher and principal in the Catholic school system in the Sudbury area.

[6] The infighting ousted former CCF MPP, Bob Carlin because the party feared the Sudbury riding association was controlled by communists in the Mine, Mill union.

[7] Only after the Steelworkers' prolonged takeover of Mine, Mill, did the NDP finally have unity between its warring factions, thereby allowing Martel to win the seat.

[9] Early in his career, Martel pressed then education minister, Bill Davis to support full funding for Catholic high schools in late 1968.

[10] As premier, Davis, in mid-June 1984, decided to fund public separate high schools, reversing his previous position going back to when Martel first brought it up in the 1960s.

[11] Martel was re-elected by comfortable margins in the elections of 1971, 1975, 1977, 1981 and 1985, and served as an opposition member for his entire legislative career.

[14][15] Shortly after his retirement, Martel was named vice-chair of the Environmental Assessment Board by Liberal Premier of Ontario David Peterson.