In a blow to Premier Kathleen Wynne’s minority Liberals, Government House Leader John Milloy is not running for re-election.

Milloy, also minister of government services, announced Friday he would not seek a fourth term in Kitchener Centre in a vote expected as early as spring.

He is not the only veteran MPP planning to leave Queen’s Park. Progressive Conservative MPP John O’Toole, 70, a stalwart in Durham since 1995, said Friday he will be retiring.

So far, eight of the 107 members of the legislature plan to step down and other departures loom.

Milloy, 48, said his decision came even before Wynne won the Liberal leadership in January 2013.

“After over ten years in office . . . I feel that it is time to pursue new opportunities outside of elected life,” the minister said in a statement.

“Most importantly, I look forward to spending more time with my wife and two young sons, aged eight and three, who have made considerable sacrifices to allow me to pursue a career in politics.”

His departure robs Wynne of one of her best-educated ministers — he has a Master of Arts degree from the London School of Economics and a doctorate from Oxford University.

First elected in 2003, Milloy has been a point person deflecting opposition criticism of the Liberals’ politically motivated cancellation of gas-fired power plants in Oakville and Mississauga before the 2011 election.

But he only won Kitchener Centre by 323 votes in that contest.

In contrast, O’Toole held his Durham seat with a plurality of 8,999 votes.

“This has not been an easy decision,” the Tory MPP said in a statement.

While never a cabinet minister, the married father of five grown children — his son Erin O’Toole is the Conservative MP for Durham — he has been an activist MPP.

The grandfather of nine was instrumental in pushing the Liberals to ban cellphone use while driving and earned praise from then premier Dalton McGuinty in 2008 for his efforts.

Another private member’s bill by O’Toole allowed owners of vintage cars to register Ontario licence plates with the year of manufacture on them.

Recently, O’Toole made headlines when he expressed misgivings about PC Leader Tim Hudak’s controversial anti-union “right-to-work” pledge.

The MPP warned last September that opponents would use the policy against the Tories in an election campaign.

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In a surprise U-turn, Hudak scrapped the measure last Friday.

Along with Milloy and O’Toole, Tory Frank Klees (Newmarket-Aurora) and Liberals Rick Bartolucci (Sudbury), Donna Cansfield (Etobicoke Centre), Attorney General John Gerretsen (Kingston and the Islands), Phil McNeely (Ottawa-Orleans), and Harinder Takhar (Mississauga-Erindale), and have announced they will not seek re-election.

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