Peter Tabuns
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Source: Ontario NDP
London, Ontario
Peter Tabuns (born October 3, 1951) is a Canadian politician. He is currently serving as a member of the Ontario Legislative Assembly where he represents the riding of Toronto-Danforth as a member of the New Democratic Party.
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[edit] Early and personal life
Tabuns was born in London, Ontario. He attended York University where he studied political science. He currently lives with Shawn Kerwin who is a professor at York University and a theatre designer. They have a son, Anton. [1][2] Tabuns has two children from a previous marriage.[3]
Prior to being elected to Toronto city council, Tabuns worked as an insurance clerk. He was also president of Citizens for a Safe Environment, a Riverdale environmental group that lobbied the city to end garbage incineration at the Commissioners Street plant in the portlands. He became managing director of a housing co-op on Oak Street and was also vice-chair of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto.[3]
[edit] City councillor
Tabuns was city councillor for Ward 8 of the former City of Toronto from 1990 to 1997, representing a segment of the Toronto Danforth riding he now represents provincially.
Tabuns was a member of the Board of Health for seven years and was chair from 1993 to 1997. In 1995 he moved to ban smoking in shopping mall food courts. A year later the city extended the ban to include bars and restaurants.[4][5]
In 1996, he supported a boycott of Harvey's restaurants because its parent company Cara Operations had donated money to the Mike Harris campaign in the 1995 provincial election. The Board of Health initially passed the motion 7-6 but later rescinded the motion following a storm of protest.[6]
Tabuns won the support of conservative tabloid journalist Judi McLeod, who sang his praises in Our Toronto (now the Canada Free Press),
"We go to council meetings looking for integrity from right-wing, pro-business members of city council. We didn't find it from the right. We, who believe strongly in the voting public's right to know how their elected officials earn their living outside of the council chamber, did find integrity from councillor Peter Tabuns."
McLeod also wrote,
"Peter Tabuns truly earns his pay. He is one of the most honest people I have ever met. Tabuns, unlike some of his council colleagues, continued to treat 'Our Toronto' with courtesy. The voters of Ward 8 restored him to council in the last two elections with veritable landslide victories."
In 1997 the amalgamation of Metropolitan Toronto reduced the number of councillor positions. Tabuns was forced to compete with fellow NDP councillors Pam McConnell (who had previously represented Ward 7, adjacent to Tabuns' Ward 8) and Jack Layton (who had held a seat on Metro Council representing the same area as Wards 7 and 8) for one of two council positions returned by the east-end ward.
Tabuns came in third, with about 200 fewer votes than McConnell and several thousand fewer votes than the very popular Layton. As a result, Tabuns did not gain a seat on the amalgamated council.[7]
[edit] Greenpeace
From 1999 to 2004, Tabuns was executive director of Greenpeace Canada. Under Tabuns' leadership, the organization advocated for environmental protection, including the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol. Tabuns also served as special advisor on climate change to Jack Layton from 2004 to 2005.
[edit] Federal politics
Tabuns ran as the NDP candidate in the riding of Beaches—East York during the 2004 federal election. He lost the race to Liberal incumbent Maria Minna by 7, 738 votes.[8] Minna has held the seat since the 1993 election. The riding is held provincially by New Democrat Michael Prue.
[edit] Provincial politics
On February 15, 2006, the Toronto—Danforth NDP riding association nominated Tabuns as the party's candidate in the provincial byelection to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of former NDP Member of Provincial Parliament Marilyn Churley. Churley resigned her provincial seat in order to run in the 2006 federal election as the NDP candidate for Beaches-East York.
Tabuns' opponents in the election were former broadcaster and Liberal candidate Ben Chin, Progressive Conservative candidate Georgina Blanas and Green Party candidate Paul Charbonneau. On March 30, 2006, Tabuns won the by-election with 47.8% support from voters[9].
Upon being sworn in as an MPP, NDP Leader Howard Hampton reorganized his shadow cabinet and gave the rookie member a long list of portfolios including Transportation, Environment, Public Infrastructure Renewal, Greater Toronto Area, Culture, Tourism and Recreation, Citizenship and Immigration, and Multicultural Affairs.[10]
Tabuns was re-elected in Ontario's 2007 Provincial Election.
Following the resignation of party leader Howard Hampton in June 2008, Peter Tabuns has been mentioned in the press as a likely candidate in the emerging race of the leadership[11]. The party's new leader will be selected at a leadership convention to be held in March, 2009.
