Gord Hunter
Encyclopedia
Gordon Hunter was an Ottawa City Councillor. He represented Knoxdale-Merivale Ward
. On January 31, 2010, he announced that he would not be running re-election to city council in 2010
.
Hunter was born into a military family and moved frequently during his childhood. He attended Lakefield College School
, Dalhousie University
, and University of Toronto
, graduating in 1968. He moved to Nepean
in 1968 to become a teacher at Confederation High School, and taught physical education
there for thirty-one years until the school closed in 1999. He was also a national champion at orienteering
.
He ran for the federal Liberal Party
in the 1980 federal election
, but lost to Progressive Conservative
Walter Baker by more than 12,000 votes. He ran again in the 1984 federal election
, and lost by almost 21,000 votes. (This was the election where the Progressive Conservatives swept to power with a majority government.)
Hunter entered municipal politics in 1980 when he was elected to the Nepean City Council as well as to the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
Council. He was easily reelected in every election thereafter.
During the 1980s when the Non-Smoking Bylaw was on the agenda at the Nepean City Hall (non-smoking areas in restaurants) Garfield Mahood
, executive director of Non-Smokers' Rights Association
, amongst other health experts, attempted to persuade Hunter to support the bylaw. However, Hunter steadfastly refused to support a non-smoking bylaw.
In 1994, as a result of local government reorganization, Hunter moved to the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton Council. A Liberal
, he ran for the party in the 1999 provincial election
in the riding of Nepean—Carleton
, but lost to Tory incumbent John Baird. He is, however, regarded as one of the more fiscally conservative councillors.
With the creation of the new city of Ottawa, in 2000, Hunter ran to represent the Knoxdale-Merivale ward, and easily won election against an anti-development activist. In the 2003 municipal election
, he was re-elected with 84% of the vote.
Hunter was opposed to the city's light-rail expansion which would have linked Barrhaven South
to downtown
in 2009, before it was cancelled by City Council on December 14, 2006. Hunter expressed concerns about high costs on the project as well as the ridership. On December 8, 2006, Hunter voted against a plan that would have truncated only the downtown segment of the proposal and later introduced another vote to topple the complete project which failed. On December 14, 2006, after Mayor Larry O'Brien
decided to vote against the project, Hunter voted for the cancellation of the project. http://www.ottawasun.com/News/BreakingNews/2006/12/06/2654678.html http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2006/12/13/light-rail.html
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2006/12/14/lrt-vote.html
Meanwhile, on Feb. 22, 2007, on CFRA's "The Lunch Bunch", Hunter said he may have accepted a campaign contribution from the Siemens/PCL consortium (Ottawa LRT Corporation)..
Gord Hunter was also criticized for the appearance of a conflict of interest
for having accepted a free corporate box seat at the 2007 Stanley Cup NHL hockey playoff game (Senators v.s. Anaheim Ducks) at Scotiabank Place from Waste Management Services—a company that the City does business with. (Ottawa Sun, June 11, 2007). The City of Ottawa Policy states: "employees must not accept, directly or indirectly, any gifts, hospitality or other benefits that are offered by persons, groups or organizations having dealings with the city.” However, other than addressing corruption, the provincial Municipal Act does not prohibit councillors from accepting such gifts.
It was revealed in a report of the City of Ottawa's 2007 office budget spending by city councillors that Gord Hunter spent the least. According to the Ottawa Sun (April 1, 2008): "The most frugal on the list is always Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Gord Hunter and 2007 was no exception. Hunter only spent $11,862 of his budget, saving taxpayers more than $24,000."
Knoxdale-Merivale Ward
Knoxdale-Merivale is a city ward in Ottawa, Ontario. Located in the city's west end, the ward is bordered to the east by the Rideau River and Fisher Avenue, the northern boundaries of the community of Barrhaven to the south, Ontario Highway 416 and Cedarview Road to the west and to the north by the...
. On January 31, 2010, he announced that he would not be running re-election to city council in 2010
Ottawa municipal election, 2010
The Ottawa municipal election was contested on October 25, 2010 to elect the mayor of Ottawa, Ottawa City Council and the Ottawa-Carleton Public and Catholic School Boards...
.
Hunter was born into a military family and moved frequently during his childhood. He attended Lakefield College School
Lakefield College School
Lakefield College School is a coeducational boarding school located north of the village of Lakefield, Ontario, Canada.The school's motto is Mens Sana In Corpore Sano...
, Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
, and University of Toronto
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto is a teachers' college in Toronto, Ontario.-History:OISE/UT traces its origins to the founding of the Provincial Normal School in 1847...
, graduating in 1968. He moved to Nepean
Nepean, Ontario
- Recent quantity of snow :- History :Nepean Township, originally known as Township D, was established in 1792 and originally included what is now the central area of Ottawa west of the Rideau River. Jehiel Collins, from Vermont, is believed to have been the first person to settle in Nepean...
in 1968 to become a teacher at Confederation High School, and taught physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
there for thirty-one years until the school closed in 1999. He was also a national champion at orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
.
He ran for the federal Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in the 1980 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1980
The Canadian federal election of 1980 was held on February 18, 1980 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 32nd Parliament of Canada...
, but lost to Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
Walter Baker by more than 12,000 votes. He ran again in the 1984 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
, and lost by almost 21,000 votes. (This was the election where the Progressive Conservatives swept to power with a majority government.)
Hunter entered municipal politics in 1980 when he was elected to the Nepean City Council as well as to the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
The Regional Municipality of Ottawa–Carleton was a regional government area and census division in Ontario, Canada which existed from 1969 until 2001...
Council. He was easily reelected in every election thereafter.
During the 1980s when the Non-Smoking Bylaw was on the agenda at the Nepean City Hall (non-smoking areas in restaurants) Garfield Mahood
Garfield Mahood
Garfield Mahood is a Canadian non-smokers' rights activist. He is the executive director of the Non-Smokers' Rights Association and its sister charity, the Smoking and Health Action Foundation , since soon after their creation in 1974.-Awards:...
, executive director of Non-Smokers' Rights Association
Non-Smokers' Rights Association
Non-Smokers' Rights Association is a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to fighting tobacco usage.Its sister non-profit organization is the Smoking and Health Action Foundation , a registered charity in Canada...
, amongst other health experts, attempted to persuade Hunter to support the bylaw. However, Hunter steadfastly refused to support a non-smoking bylaw.
In 1994, as a result of local government reorganization, Hunter moved to the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton Council. A Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
, he ran for the party in the 1999 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
in the riding of Nepean—Carleton
Nepean—Carleton
Nepean—Carleton is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 1988 and since 1997....
, but lost to Tory incumbent John Baird. He is, however, regarded as one of the more fiscally conservative councillors.
With the creation of the new city of Ottawa, in 2000, Hunter ran to represent the Knoxdale-Merivale ward, and easily won election against an anti-development activist. In the 2003 municipal election
Ottawa municipal election, 2003
The Ottawa municipal election of 2003 was held in Ottawa, Canada, to elect the city's mayor, City Council, and school trustees for the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The vote was held on November 10, 2003...
, he was re-elected with 84% of the vote.
Hunter was opposed to the city's light-rail expansion which would have linked Barrhaven South
Barrhaven, Ontario
Barrhaven is a rapidly growing suburban neighbourhood in the southwest of the urban area of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, about southwest of downtown Ottawa. Prior to amalgamation with Ottawa in 2001, Barrhaven was part of the City of Nepean. Its population as of the Canada 2006 Census was...
to downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
in 2009, before it was cancelled by City Council on December 14, 2006. Hunter expressed concerns about high costs on the project as well as the ridership. On December 8, 2006, Hunter voted against a plan that would have truncated only the downtown segment of the proposal and later introduced another vote to topple the complete project which failed. On December 14, 2006, after Mayor Larry O'Brien
Larry O'Brien (Canadian politician)
Lawrence Robert O'Brien , was the 58th mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He is also a current director of Calian Technologies Ltd. and its former CEO and chairman....
decided to vote against the project, Hunter voted for the cancellation of the project. http://www.ottawasun.com/News/BreakingNews/2006/12/06/2654678.html http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2006/12/13/light-rail.html
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2006/12/14/lrt-vote.html
Meanwhile, on Feb. 22, 2007, on CFRA's "The Lunch Bunch", Hunter said he may have accepted a campaign contribution from the Siemens/PCL consortium (Ottawa LRT Corporation)..
Gord Hunter was also criticized for the appearance of a conflict of interest
Conflict of interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other....
for having accepted a free corporate box seat at the 2007 Stanley Cup NHL hockey playoff game (Senators v.s. Anaheim Ducks) at Scotiabank Place from Waste Management Services—a company that the City does business with. (Ottawa Sun, June 11, 2007). The City of Ottawa Policy states: "employees must not accept, directly or indirectly, any gifts, hospitality or other benefits that are offered by persons, groups or organizations having dealings with the city.” However, other than addressing corruption, the provincial Municipal Act does not prohibit councillors from accepting such gifts.
It was revealed in a report of the City of Ottawa's 2007 office budget spending by city councillors that Gord Hunter spent the least. According to the Ottawa Sun (April 1, 2008): "The most frugal on the list is always Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Gord Hunter and 2007 was no exception. Hunter only spent $11,862 of his budget, saving taxpayers more than $24,000."
Canadian federal election, 1980
Nepean–CarletonCanadian federal election, 1984
Nepean–CarletonOttawa-Carleton Regional Municipality elections, 1997
| Knoxdale-Merivale Ward Knoxdale-Merivale Ward Knoxdale-Merivale is a city ward in Ottawa, Ontario. Located in the city's west end, the ward is bordered to the east by the Rideau River and Fisher Avenue, the northern boundaries of the community of Barrhaven to the south, Ontario Highway 416 and Cedarview Road to the west and to the north by the... |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Gord Hunter | ACCLAIMED | |
Ottawa municipal election, 2000
| Knoxdale-Merivale Ward Knoxdale-Merivale Ward Knoxdale-Merivale is a city ward in Ottawa, Ontario. Located in the city's west end, the ward is bordered to the east by the Rideau River and Fisher Avenue, the northern boundaries of the community of Barrhaven to the south, Ontario Highway 416 and Cedarview Road to the west and to the north by the... (Ward 9) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Gord Hunter' | 7845 | 71.27% |
| Al Speyers | 3163 | 28.73% |
Ottawa municipal election, 2003
| Knoxdale-Merivale Ward Knoxdale-Merivale Ward Knoxdale-Merivale is a city ward in Ottawa, Ontario. Located in the city's west end, the ward is bordered to the east by the Rideau River and Fisher Avenue, the northern boundaries of the community of Barrhaven to the south, Ontario Highway 416 and Cedarview Road to the west and to the north by the... (Ward 9) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Gord Hunter | 7029 | 84.79% |
| Philip Unhola | 637 | 7.68% |
| Al Speyers | 624 | 7.53% |
Ottawa municipal election, 2006
| Knoxdale-Merivale Ward Knoxdale-Merivale Ward Knoxdale-Merivale is a city ward in Ottawa, Ontario. Located in the city's west end, the ward is bordered to the east by the Rideau River and Fisher Avenue, the northern boundaries of the community of Barrhaven to the south, Ontario Highway 416 and Cedarview Road to the west and to the north by the... (Ward 9) |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | % |
| Gord Hunter | 10461 | 78.13% |
| James Dean | 2929 | 21.87% |