Michael Shapcott
Encyclopedia
Michael Shapcott is a Canadian
social activist and academic best known for his work on housing and anti-poverty issues in Toronto
.
Trained as a lawyer (though he decided not to go before the bar,) Shapcott came to public attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s for his work in BASIC which became the "Breads Not Circuses" coalition which argued that the money being spent on Toronto's bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics
could be better spent on housing. His detractors vilified him for helping compromise the city's bid for the 1996 Olympic Games
.
In 1989, Shapcott, Bart Poesiat and future Toronto mayor Barbara Hall created the Rupert Pilot Project to fund affordable housing initiatives which received substantial funding in the early 1990s from Bob Rae's NDP Ontario government.
Shapcott is a founding member of the National Housing and Homelessness Network and the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee and the Toronto Environmental Alliance, of which he continues to be a board member.
Currently, he is the senior fellow in residence for public policy at the Wellesley Institute
(WI).
He was previously Executive Director of the Community/University Research Partnerships (CURP) program at University of Toronto
's Centre for Urban and Community Studies, where he promoted links between academic research and social justice activism.
Prior to that, he was manager of government relations and communications at the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (Ontario Region).
Michael got his first housing experience working at the Christian Resource Centre, then as a manager at both Houses Opening Today (HOT) and with the Homes First Society.
Earlier in his adult life, Shapcott worked as a reporter, columnist and editor for several newspapers and has worked on such newspapers as the Northbay Nugget and the Calgary Herald.
Shapcott is actively involved in the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid and is regularly on television and in the media. In spring 2008 he appeared on the Michael Coren show and made an argument that the Palestine/Israel problem could easily be solved with a secular one-state solution.
Shapcott entered electoral politics by running as the New Democratic Party
's candidate in Toronto Centre
in the 2004 federal election
placing second to Liberal
incumbent Bill Graham.
He made his second attempt in the same riding in the 2006 federal election
, increasing the NDP vote to its highest level ever in the riding.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
social activist and academic best known for his work on housing and anti-poverty issues in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Trained as a lawyer (though he decided not to go before the bar,) Shapcott came to public attention in the late 1980s and early 1990s for his work in BASIC which became the "Breads Not Circuses" coalition which argued that the money being spent on Toronto's bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
could be better spent on housing. His detractors vilified him for helping compromise the city's bid for the 1996 Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
.
In 1989, Shapcott, Bart Poesiat and future Toronto mayor Barbara Hall created the Rupert Pilot Project to fund affordable housing initiatives which received substantial funding in the early 1990s from Bob Rae's NDP Ontario government.
Shapcott is a founding member of the National Housing and Homelessness Network and the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee and the Toronto Environmental Alliance, of which he continues to be a board member.
Currently, he is the senior fellow in residence for public policy at the Wellesley Institute
Wellesley Institute
The Wellesley Institute is a non-profit and non-partisan research and policy institute located in Toronto, Canada.The WI funds innovative research on the impact of inadequate housing and homelessness, poverty and income inequality, social exclusion and other social and economic determinants of...
(WI).
He was previously Executive Director of the Community/University Research Partnerships (CURP) program at University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
's Centre for Urban and Community Studies, where he promoted links between academic research and social justice activism.
Prior to that, he was manager of government relations and communications at the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (Ontario Region).
Michael got his first housing experience working at the Christian Resource Centre, then as a manager at both Houses Opening Today (HOT) and with the Homes First Society.
Earlier in his adult life, Shapcott worked as a reporter, columnist and editor for several newspapers and has worked on such newspapers as the Northbay Nugget and the Calgary Herald.
Shapcott is actively involved in the Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid and is regularly on television and in the media. In spring 2008 he appeared on the Michael Coren show and made an argument that the Palestine/Israel problem could easily be solved with a secular one-state solution.
Shapcott entered electoral politics by running as the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
's candidate in Toronto Centre
Toronto Centre
Toronto Centre is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1872 to 1925, and since 1935, under the names Centre Toronto , Toronto Centre , Rosedale and Toronto Centre—Rosedale .Toronto Centre covers the heart of...
in the 2004 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
placing second to Liberal
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...
incumbent Bill Graham.
He made his second attempt in the same riding in the 2006 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2006
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 39th Parliament of Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada won the greatest number of seats: 40.3% of seats, or 124 out of 308, up from 99 seats in 2004, and 36.3% of votes:...
, increasing the NDP vote to its highest level ever in the riding.