As Mayor, he led the twinning of the Town of Lindsay with Nayoro, Hokkaido, and Japan in 1969.
[1] Eakins was also a governor of Fleming College, and a member of the Royal Canadian Legion.
The Ontario Liberal Party increased its legislative representation in the 1975 provincial election, and Eakins defeated Hodgson by 1,023 votes in his third attempt.
[6] After serving in opposition for forty-two years, the Liberal Party formed a minority government after the 1985 election.
David Peterson, the province's new Premier, appointed Eakins as his Minister of Tourism and Recreation on June 26, 1985.