Slaw Rebchuk
Encyclopedia
Slaw Rebchuk was a longtime municipal politician in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
, Canada
, popularly known as the "Mayor of the North End".
Rebchuk was born to a Ukrainian
immigrant family in north-end Winnipeg, and graduated from St. John's High School. He worked in the dry goods business, and was a softball
catcher for thirty years. He was also active with the Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood and the Knights of Columbus
. The Vatican
awarded him one of its highest honours, the Knighthood of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, in 1981.
Rebchuk became active with the Young Liberal
Association in 1925, and contested his first election in 1938. Running for a school trustee position, he lost to Andrew Biletski of the Communist Party
.
Rebchuk was first elected to the Winnipeg City Council
in 1949 for Winnipeg's third ward, as candidate of the right-leaning Civic Election Committee (CEC). Civic elections in this period were conducted by preferential balloting; although the third ward was located in Winnipeg's predominantly working-class and left-leaning north end, the CEC was usually able to win one of its three seats. Rebchuk described himself as a "rightist".
Notwithstanding that he was a smoker, Rebchuk co-sponsored a successful motion in 1964 to ban smoking in the council chamber. The following year, he brought forward a motion to withdraw the City of Winnipeg from the regional Metropolitan Corporation. This was defeated by a vote of 9-7. The CEC changed its name to the Greater Winnipeg Election Committee in the mid-1960s. Rebchuk broke from this group to sit as an independent councillor, and was chosen as Winnipeg's acting mayor and finance committee chairman in 1969 as part of an arrangement with left-leaning councillors. He left council in 1977 following twenty-eight years of continuous service, after losing his redistributed ward to New Democrat
Bill Chornopyski (the city had previously switched to single-member ward representation).
The City of Winnipeg named a bridge in Rebchuk's honour in 1984. A newspaper report from that year indicates that Rebchuk, then 77, was still serving on a hospital board and two city boards, and was actively operating an insurance business.
Rebchuk was initially aligned with the Liberal-Progressive Party
at the provincial level, and ran unsuccessfully under its banner in the 1958 election
. He crossed to the Progressive Conservative Party
in 1969, and unsuccessfully contested Point Douglas under its banner in the 1969 election
.
Former Cooperative Commonwealth Federation leader Lloyd Stinson
once described Rebchuk as "the most experienced man around City Hall and certainly the hardest worker [...] warm-hearted, rambunctious, garrulous and illogical much of the time", while fellow councillor Bernie Wolfe
once said "he has a heart like a hotel and is generous to a fault".
Rebchuk was also known for his colourful verbal gaffes, some of which were reprinted by Reader's Digest
. Lloyd Stinson attributes the phrase "A verbal agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on" to Rebchuk, although others have attributed it to Sam Goldwyn.
Slaw Rebchuk left behind three children: Brian, Noelle and Chris Rebchuk. All of them have died except for Chris Rebchuk, who has two children: Jacqueline and Alexander Rebchuk. Noelle is survived by her husband, Gordon De Wolfe, and their son, Brian De Wolfe.
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, 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...
, Canada
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...
, popularly known as the "Mayor of the North End".
Rebchuk was born to a Ukrainian
Ukrainian Canadian
A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. In 2006, there were an estimated 1,209,085 persons residing in Canada of Ukrainian origin, making them Canada's ninth largest ethnic group; and giving Canada the world's third-largest...
immigrant family in north-end Winnipeg, and graduated from St. John's High School. He worked in the dry goods business, and was a softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
catcher for thirty years. He was also active with the Ukrainian Catholic Brotherhood and the Knights of Columbus
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
. The Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
awarded him one of its highest honours, the Knighthood of the Order of St. Gregory the Great, in 1981.
Rebchuk became active with the Young 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...
Association in 1925, and contested his first election in 1938. Running for a school trustee position, he lost to Andrew Biletski of the Communist Party
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
.
Rebchuk was first elected to the Winnipeg City Council
Winnipeg City Council
The Winnipeg City Council is the governing body of the city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors.-2006-2010:Council elected in the 2006 election:-2010-2014:...
in 1949 for Winnipeg's third ward, as candidate of the right-leaning Civic Election Committee (CEC). Civic elections in this period were conducted by preferential balloting; although the third ward was located in Winnipeg's predominantly working-class and left-leaning north end, the CEC was usually able to win one of its three seats. Rebchuk described himself as a "rightist".
Notwithstanding that he was a smoker, Rebchuk co-sponsored a successful motion in 1964 to ban smoking in the council chamber. The following year, he brought forward a motion to withdraw the City of Winnipeg from the regional Metropolitan Corporation. This was defeated by a vote of 9-7. The CEC changed its name to the Greater Winnipeg Election Committee in the mid-1960s. Rebchuk broke from this group to sit as an independent councillor, and was chosen as Winnipeg's acting mayor and finance committee chairman in 1969 as part of an arrangement with left-leaning councillors. He left council in 1977 following twenty-eight years of continuous service, after losing his redistributed ward to New Democrat
New Democratic Party of Manitoba
The New Democratic Party of Manitoba is a social-democratic political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is the provincial wing of the federal New Democratic Party, and is a successor to the Manitoba Co-operative Commonwealth Federation...
Bill Chornopyski (the city had previously switched to single-member ward representation).
The City of Winnipeg named a bridge in Rebchuk's honour in 1984. A newspaper report from that year indicates that Rebchuk, then 77, was still serving on a hospital board and two city boards, and was actively operating an insurance business.
Rebchuk was initially aligned with the Liberal-Progressive Party
Manitoba Liberal Party
The Manitoba Liberal Party is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late nineteenth-century, following the province's creation in 1870.-Origins and early development :...
at the provincial level, and ran unsuccessfully under its banner in the 1958 election
Manitoba general election, 1958
Manitoba's general election of June 16, 1958 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Manitoba, Canada.This election was the first to be held in Manitoba after a comprehensive electoral redistribution in 1956...
. He crossed to the Progressive Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba is the only right wing political party in Manitoba, Canada. It is also the official opposition party in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.-Origins and early years:...
in 1969, and unsuccessfully contested Point Douglas under its banner in the 1969 election
Manitoba general election, 1969
The Manitoba General Election of June 25, 1969 was held to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was a watershed moment in the province's political history. The social-democratic New Democratic Party emerged for the first time as the largest party in...
.
Former Cooperative Commonwealth Federation leader Lloyd Stinson
Lloyd Stinson
Lloyd Stinson was a politician in Manitoba, Canada, and the leader of that province's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation from 1953 to 1959. Although widely regarded as a capable leader, he was unable to achieve a major electoral breakthrough for his party.Stinson was born in Treherne,...
once described Rebchuk as "the most experienced man around City Hall and certainly the hardest worker [...] warm-hearted, rambunctious, garrulous and illogical much of the time", while fellow councillor Bernie Wolfe
Bernie Wolfe
Bernie Wolfe, CM, OB is a retired politician in Manitoba, Canada.-Personal and family:Wolfe family one of the pioneer families of TransconaBorn in 1922 in Transcona, Manitoba Attended Transcona Collegiate...
once said "he has a heart like a hotel and is generous to a fault".
Rebchuk was also known for his colourful verbal gaffes, some of which were reprinted by Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
. Lloyd Stinson attributes the phrase "A verbal agreement isn't worth the paper it's written on" to Rebchuk, although others have attributed it to Sam Goldwyn.
Slaw Rebchuk left behind three children: Brian, Noelle and Chris Rebchuk. All of them have died except for Chris Rebchuk, who has two children: Jacqueline and Alexander Rebchuk. Noelle is survived by her husband, Gordon De Wolfe, and their son, Brian De Wolfe.