Eric Wilfred Balcom, was a businessman, political figure, and Companion of the Order of Canada

Order of Canada

The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...

.

Born in Port Dufferin, Halifax County, Nova Scotia

Halifax County, Nova Scotia

Halifax County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.The Municipality of the County of Halifax was the municipal government of Halifax County, apart from the separately incorporated towns and cities therein...

, Balcom moved to Wolfville

Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Wolfville is a small town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. As of 2006, the population was 3,772....

 in 1938. He established two nursing homes there. Balcom then operated the Paramount Hotel and Cottages from 1942 to 1970. He was Mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Wolfville from 1950 to 1955 and ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Parliament in 1953.

Balcom was elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature in 1956

Nova Scotia general election, 1956

The 23rd Nova Scotia general election was held on 30 October 1956 to elect members of the 46th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservatives led by Robert Stanfield. This was the first election the Liberal Party fought without their...

, representing Kings North

Kings North

Kings North is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly.The electoral district was formed through redistribution in 1956...

 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...

 as a Liberal

Liberal Party of Nova Scotia

The Liberal Party of Nova Scotia is a political party in Nova Scotia, Canada.-Origins:The party is descended from the pre-Confederation Reformers in Nova Scotia who coalesced around Joseph Howe demanding the institution of responsible government...

. He re-offered in the 1960 general election

Nova Scotia general election, 1960

The 24th Nova Scotia general election was held on 7 June 1960 to elect members of the 47th House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was won by the Progressive Conservatives....

, but was defeated.

Balcom was president of the Atlantic School of Theology

Atlantic School of Theology

The Atlantic School of Theology is a Canadian ecumenical university which provides "graduate level theological education and research, and in formation for Christian ministries, lay and ordained, in church and society, primarily in Atlantic Canada". It is located in Halifax, Nova Scotia and its...

, the Nova Scotia Kidney Association, the Canadian Mental Health Association

Canadian Mental Health Association

The Canadian Mental Health Association was founded on January 26, 1918 by Dr. Clarence M. Hincks and Clifford W. Beers. Originally named the Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene, it is one of the oldest voluntary health organizations still operating in Canada.Each year, CMHA divisions...

, and the Wolfville Board of Trade.

Balcom returned to Port Dufferin in 1970. He was appointed to the Order of Canada on June 20, 1983.

In 1989, Balcom died as a result of a car accident.