Born in Fort William, Ontario, he was the younger brother of jurist Bora Laskin.

He was educated in Fort William and Toronto, and served overseas in World War II.

He was elected mayor in 1962, a position he would hold until 1969, when Port Arthur and Fort William amalgamated to become Thunder Bay.

In 1963 federal election, he ran unsuccessfully as a Liberal in the riding of Port Arthur, losing to the New Democratic Party candidate, Douglas Fisher.

In retirement, he lived in Toronto with his wife Adele Tritt whom he married in 1946.