Background
Prior to entering politics, Abel studied economics, industrial sociology, political science, labour history and labour law at the Labour College of Canada in Ottawa. He worked in the purchasing and plant management department of the Wentworth County Board of Education and served 10 years as the president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). He also served as a National Service Representative for CUPE prior to his election to the provincial legislature. Abel and his wife Debra currently own and operate a cottage resort on Sturgeon Lake near Lindsay, Ontario.
In 1992, while in office, Abel's teenaged son Mark was seriously injured in a skiing accident in New York. He was left paralyzed from the chest down. 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.
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