Robert Hunter (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Robert Lorne Hunter (October 13, 1941–May 2, 2005) was a Canadian
environmentalist
, journalist
, author
and politician
. A member of the Don't Make a Wave Committee
in 1969 with Dorothy and Irving Stowe
, Marie and Jim Bohlen
, and Ben
and Dorothy Metcalfe. He was a co-founder of Greenpeace
in 1972 with Patrick Moore
, Ben Metcalfe
, Jim Bohlen
, Irving Stowe
, Paul Watson
and several other members. Hunter, the first President of Greenpeace, was a long-time campaigner for environmental causes. He led the first on-sea anti-whaling campaigns in the world, against Russian and Australian whalers, which helped lead to the ban on commercial whaling
. He campaigned against nuclear testing, the Canadian seal hunt and later, climate change with his book 'Thermageddon: Countdown to 2030.' He was named by Time as one of the "Eco-Heroes" of the 20th century and is charged with coining the terms "mindbombs" and "eco-warrior
" (a run-off from 'Rainbow Warrior,' a Canadian aboriginal prophecy).
Born in St. Boniface
, Manitoba
, Hunter's career in journalism began in the 1960s at the Winnipeg Tribune
and the Vancouver Sun, where he focused on the counterculture as well as environmental issues. Beginning in 1988, he worked as a commentator and reporter for Toronto's Citytv
and, since its launch, its all-news sister channel CP24
. He created many documentaries about Canada's north that are still often aired on CP24 in off-peak hours. He was also the longtime "Enviro" columnist in Toronto
's eye weekly
.
in 1971, titled Greenpeace I. This was a halibut seiner by the name of Phyllis Cormack, chartered to travel to Amchitka to attempt to halt the underground nuclear bomb test codenamed Cannikin by the United States military beneath the island of Amchitka
, Alaska.
In 1975 Robert Hunter led the Greenpeace expedition against the Soviet Whaling fleet, along with lifelong friend and activist, Paul Watson
and Patrick Moore
. The expedition chartered the Phyllis Cormack again, and pioneered using inflatable zodiacs as a shield between the harpoon and the whale.
He participated on many Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd
campaigns, and was on the advisory board for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for several years. A Sea Shepherd vessel was named for him
after his death.
in a 2001 provincial by-election
in Beaches—East York
. Hunter's environmentalism had led many to assume that his politics were more in line with the New Democratic Party
or the Greens
, and he had frequently criticized Liberal politicians in his columns. The by-election campaign became bitter in its final days when sections of Hunter's 1988 travelogue On the Sky, were faxed to Hunter's opponents. (The origin of the fax was never confirmed.) The excerpt contained a first-person account of having sex with (possibly underage) prostitutes in Bangkok. Hunter's New Democratic opponents went public with attacks on Hunter's personal integrity. "It says something about [Bob Hunter's] character he could write such nasty, disgusting stuff about young girls in Thailand," said NDP MPP Marilyn Churley.
Hunter launched a libel suit against the Ontario NDP in response. "I'm personally offended, first of all as a writer, that they can't tell the distinction between fiction and non-fiction, and otherwise as a family man," said the 59-year-old grandfather.
Hunter insisted the book was satirical fiction and chastised the NDP for attacking his artistic freedom. Later, a contrite Ms. Churley said: "I do regret saying that. It's up to the voters in Beaches—East York ... to make up their minds. I don't think he's unfit for office. I was very disturbed by the book. I am a feminist ... I found it very revolting."
In the end, Hunter lost by almost 4,000 votes to Michael Prue
of the NDP. However, despite these results, Hunter in 2002 called for the Liberals and the Green Party of Ontario
to form an electoral alliance.
for literature for his book Occupied Canada: A Young White Man Discovers His Unsuspected Past. He also wrote on matters relating to aboriginal rights in Canada and remained in contact with Greenpeace and other environmental groups until his death.
in 1998. After his doctor told him that his prostate cancer was incurable, Hunter went to Hospital Santa Monica, in Mexico, founded by Kurt Donsbach, an American naturopathic doctor and chiropractor. Hunter started treatment in December 2004, and reported progress, but died in May 2005.
His ashes were scattered in northern Canada near the Arctic on a canoeing trip, at Tortuga Bay in the Galapagos Islands
, and on top of an Antarctic iceberg during the 2005/2006 Sea Shepherd campaign against whaling by the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary
.
He is survived by his wife Bobbi, and his children Emily and Will. Hunter also has two children from his first marriage: Justine, and Conan. Hunter had four grandchildren at the time of his death.
was named in his honour. Part of the Rouge Park
system, the park is bounded by a rail corridor, west of Ninth Line and east of Ressor Road, south of Highway 407 and north of Steeles Avenue
East.
The park was opened by his family and Premier Dalton McGuinty
on August 21, 2006.
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...
environmentalist
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. A member of the Don't Make a Wave Committee
Don't Make a Wave Committee
The Don't Make a Wave Committee was the name of the anti-nuclear organization which later evolved into Greenpeace, a global environmental organization...
in 1969 with Dorothy and Irving Stowe
Irving Stowe
Irving Harold Stowe was a Yale lawyer, activist, visionary and a key founder of Greenpeace. He was named one of the “BAM 100” ....
, Marie and Jim Bohlen
Jim Bohlen
Jim Bohlen , was an American engineer who worked on the Atlas ICBM missile program, later emigrated to Canada after becoming disillusioned with the US government's nuclear policy during the Cold War and one of the co-founders of Greenpeace.Bohlen, one of the approximately half-dozen founders of...
, and Ben
Ben Metcalfe
Bennett Metcalfe was a Canadian journalist and first chairman of Greenpeace, founded 1971.Ben Metcalfe was born in Winnipeg. Later he moved to the United Kingdom and at the age of 16 joined the Royal Air Force. He was posted in India and North Africa. After World War II he worked as journalist in...
and Dorothy Metcalfe. He was a co-founder of Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
in 1972 with Patrick Moore
Patrick Moore (environmentalist)
Patrick Moore is a former environmental activist, known as one of the early members of Greenpeace, in which he was an activist from 1971 to 1986...
, Ben Metcalfe
Ben Metcalfe
Bennett Metcalfe was a Canadian journalist and first chairman of Greenpeace, founded 1971.Ben Metcalfe was born in Winnipeg. Later he moved to the United Kingdom and at the age of 16 joined the Royal Air Force. He was posted in India and North Africa. After World War II he worked as journalist in...
, Jim Bohlen
Jim Bohlen
Jim Bohlen , was an American engineer who worked on the Atlas ICBM missile program, later emigrated to Canada after becoming disillusioned with the US government's nuclear policy during the Cold War and one of the co-founders of Greenpeace.Bohlen, one of the approximately half-dozen founders of...
, Irving Stowe
Irving Stowe
Irving Harold Stowe was a Yale lawyer, activist, visionary and a key founder of Greenpeace. He was named one of the “BAM 100” ....
, Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson is a Canadian animal rights and environmental activist, who founded and is president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a direct action group devoted to marine conservation....
and several other members. Hunter, the first President of Greenpeace, was a long-time campaigner for environmental causes. He led the first on-sea anti-whaling campaigns in the world, against Russian and Australian whalers, which helped lead to the ban on commercial whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
. He campaigned against nuclear testing, the Canadian seal hunt and later, climate change with his book 'Thermageddon: Countdown to 2030.' He was named by Time as one of the "Eco-Heroes" of the 20th century and is charged with coining the terms "mindbombs" and "eco-warrior
Eco-warrior
The term eco-warrior is a self-description for an environmental activist that adopts a 'hands-on' effort to save or salvage a plot of land, or to advance some ecological ideology...
" (a run-off from 'Rainbow Warrior,' a Canadian aboriginal prophecy).
Born in St. Boniface
Saint Boniface, Manitoba
Saint Boniface is a city ward of Winnipeg, home to much of the Franco-Manitoban community. It features such landmarks as the Cathédrale de Saint Boniface , Boulevard Provencher, the Provencher Bridge, Esplanade Riel, St. Boniface Hospital, the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface and the Royal...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Hunter's career in journalism began in the 1960s at the Winnipeg Tribune
Winnipeg Tribune
The Winnipeg Tribune was a metropolitan daily newspaper serving Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from January 28, 1890 to August 27, 1980. The paper was founded by R.L. Richardson and D.L. McIntyre who acquired the press and premises of the old Winnipeg Sun newspaper. It was often viewed as a liberal...
and the Vancouver Sun, where he focused on the counterculture as well as environmental issues. Beginning in 1988, he worked as a commentator and reporter for Toronto's Citytv
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and, since its launch, its all-news sister channel CP24
CablePulse 24
CablePulse24 ' is a Canadian English language Category A specialty news channel owned and operated by Bell Media. Based in Toronto, it focuses on local news from the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario, although it also covers national and international news...
. He created many documentaries about Canada's north that are still often aired on CP24 in off-peak hours. He was also the longtime "Enviro" columnist 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...
's eye weekly
Eye Weekly
Eye Weekly was a free weekly newspaper published in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was owned by Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, and was published by their Star Media Group until its final issue on May 5, 2011. The following week, Torstar launched a successor publication, The Grid.-...
.
Environmental activism
Robert Hunter was on the first expedition of the Don't Make a Wave CommitteeDon't Make a Wave Committee
The Don't Make a Wave Committee was the name of the anti-nuclear organization which later evolved into Greenpeace, a global environmental organization...
in 1971, titled Greenpeace I. This was a halibut seiner by the name of Phyllis Cormack, chartered to travel to Amchitka to attempt to halt the underground nuclear bomb test codenamed Cannikin by the United States military beneath the island of Amchitka
Amchitka
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide...
, Alaska.
In 1975 Robert Hunter led the Greenpeace expedition against the Soviet Whaling fleet, along with lifelong friend and activist, Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson is a Canadian animal rights and environmental activist, who founded and is president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a direct action group devoted to marine conservation....
and Patrick Moore
Patrick Moore (environmentalist)
Patrick Moore is a former environmental activist, known as one of the early members of Greenpeace, in which he was an activist from 1971 to 1986...
. The expedition chartered the Phyllis Cormack again, and pioneered using inflatable zodiacs as a shield between the harpoon and the whale.
He participated on many Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a non-profit, marine conservation organization based in Friday Harbor, Washington in the United States. The group uses direct action tactics to protect sealife...
campaigns, and was on the advisory board for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for several years. A Sea Shepherd vessel was named for him
MV Steve Irwin
The MY Steve Irwin is the flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, and used in their direct action campaigns against whaling and other activities the group opposes...
after his death.
Politics
Hunter surprised many when he entered politics as a candidate for the Ontario Liberal PartyOntario 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...
in a 2001 provincial by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Beaches—East York
Beaches—East York
Beaches—East York is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988....
. Hunter's environmentalism had led many to assume that his politics were more in line with the New Democratic Party
Ontario New Democratic Party
The Ontario New Democratic Party or , formally known as New Democratic Party of Ontario, is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. It is a provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party. It was formed in October 1961, a few months after the federal party. The ONDP had its...
or the Greens
Green Party of Ontario
The Green Party of Ontario is a political party in Ontario, Canada. The party is led by Mike Schreiner. It has never held any seats in the Ontario Legislative Assembly; however, the party did see significant gains in the 2007 provincial election, earning 8% of the popular vote with some candidates...
, and he had frequently criticized Liberal politicians in his columns. The by-election campaign became bitter in its final days when sections of Hunter's 1988 travelogue On the Sky, were faxed to Hunter's opponents. (The origin of the fax was never confirmed.) The excerpt contained a first-person account of having sex with (possibly underage) prostitutes in Bangkok. Hunter's New Democratic opponents went public with attacks on Hunter's personal integrity. "It says something about [Bob Hunter's] character he could write such nasty, disgusting stuff about young girls in Thailand," said NDP MPP Marilyn Churley.
Hunter launched a libel suit against the Ontario NDP in response. "I'm personally offended, first of all as a writer, that they can't tell the distinction between fiction and non-fiction, and otherwise as a family man," said the 59-year-old grandfather.
Hunter insisted the book was satirical fiction and chastised the NDP for attacking his artistic freedom. Later, a contrite Ms. Churley said: "I do regret saying that. It's up to the voters in Beaches—East York ... to make up their minds. I don't think he's unfit for office. I was very disturbed by the book. I am a feminist ... I found it very revolting."
In the end, Hunter lost by almost 4,000 votes to Michael Prue
Michael Prue
Michael D. Prue is a Canadian politician, who represents the riding of Beaches—East York in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. He is the New Democratic Party critic for Finance, Public Infrastructure Renewal, Community and Social Services and the Management Board of Cabinet, and for issues...
of the NDP. However, despite these results, Hunter in 2002 called for the Liberals and the Green Party of Ontario
Green Party of Ontario
The Green Party of Ontario is a political party in Ontario, Canada. The party is led by Mike Schreiner. It has never held any seats in the Ontario Legislative Assembly; however, the party did see significant gains in the 2007 provincial election, earning 8% of the popular vote with some candidates...
to form an electoral alliance.
Author
Hunter wrote numerous books on environmental subjects. In 1991, he won the Governor General's AwardGovernor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, marking distinction in a number of academic, artistic and social fields. The first was conceived in 1937 by Lord Tweedsmuir, a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction who created the Governor...
for literature for his book Occupied Canada: A Young White Man Discovers His Unsuspected Past. He also wrote on matters relating to aboriginal rights in Canada and remained in contact with Greenpeace and other environmental groups until his death.
Death
Hunter was diagnosed with prostate cancerProstate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
in 1998. After his doctor told him that his prostate cancer was incurable, Hunter went to Hospital Santa Monica, in Mexico, founded by Kurt Donsbach, an American naturopathic doctor and chiropractor. Hunter started treatment in December 2004, and reported progress, but died in May 2005.
His ashes were scattered in northern Canada near the Arctic on a canoeing trip, at Tortuga Bay in the Galapagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
, and on top of an Antarctic iceberg during the 2005/2006 Sea Shepherd campaign against whaling by the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary
Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary
The Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary is an area of 50 million square kilometres surrounding the continent of Antarctica where the International Whaling Commission has banned all types of commercial whaling...
.
He is survived by his wife Bobbi, and his children Emily and Will. Hunter also has two children from his first marriage: Justine, and Conan. Hunter had four grandchildren at the time of his death.
Legacy
Bob Hunter Memorial Park in MarkhamMarkham, Ontario
Markham is a town in the Regional Municipality of York, located within the Greater Toronto Area of Southern Ontario, Canada. The population was 261,573 at the 2006 Canadian census...
was named in his honour. Part of the Rouge Park
Rouge Park
Rouge Park will become an urban national park located along the border of Toronto and Pickering, Ontario, Canada. It will be Canada's first national park within a municipality....
system, the park is bounded by a rail corridor, west of Ninth Line and east of Ressor Road, south of Highway 407 and north of Steeles Avenue
Steeles Avenue
Steeles Avenue is an east-west street that forms the northern city limit of Toronto and the southern limit of York Region, Ontario, Canada. It stretches across the western Greater Toronto Area from Milborough Townline in Halton Region east to the Scarborough-Pickering limit. It runs for within...
East.
The park was opened by his family and Premier Dalton McGuinty
Dalton McGuinty
Dalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
on August 21, 2006.
External links
- B.C. BookWorld: "Robert Hunter"
- Greenpeace bids farewell to founding hippy "Greenpeace founding member dead at 63"
- CBC News: "Greenpeace co-founder Bob Hunter dies"
- Cable Pulse 24: "Legend Lost"
- Melbourne Indymedia: Bob Hunter's ashes scattered on an iceberg by Emily Hunter
- National Post: Robert Fulford's essay on the controversy surrounding On the Sky
- Greenpeace The Inside Story: How a Group of Ecologists, Journalists, and Visionaries Changed the World, by Rex WeylerRex WeylerRex Weyler is an American / Canadian author, journalist and ecologist. He has worked as a writer, editor, and publisher at newspapers and magazines, and occasionally as a commentator on Canadian television...
. Includes a biography of Hunter from his childhood through his Greenpeace career.