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David Coon
Canadian politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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David Charles Coon MLA (born October 28, 1956) is a Canadian politician who has served as leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick since 2012 and as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick since 2014, elected three times in Fredericton South and a fourth time to represent the newly constituted riding of Fredericton-Lincoln.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, Coon was raised in Montreal, Quebec, where he graduated from high school. He later graduated from McGill University and received a diploma from Vanier College, and began working with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick. Coon entered provincial politics full-time in 2012 after being elected to lead the Green Party of New Brunswick, which was formed in 2009.
Coon joined the 58th Legislature after being elected to represent the newly contested provincial electoral district of Fredericton South in 2014, becoming the first ever Green legislative member in New Brunswick and the second provincial Green politician in Canada to win a seat in a provincial legislature. He was re-elected in 2018 and again in 2020. Following an electoral redistribution in 2023, Coon's elected riding was replaced with two new electoral districts; he was elected in the new riding of Fredericton-Lincoln in the 2024 provincial election.
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Early life and education
David Charles Coon[1] was born on October 28, 1956, in Toronto, Ontario,[2] the eldest child of Charles Coon and Iris Page.[3] He spent his childhood in Montreal, Quebec,[4] where he graduated from high school.[5] Coon later attended McGill University,[2] primarily studying ecology,[3] where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1978.[2] He additionally attended Vanier College, where he received a Pure and Applied Science diploma.[6] In 1985, Coon moved to New Brunswick and started working with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick (CCNB),[4][7] serving as its policy director.[8]
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Conservation career
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Coon worked as an environmental educator, organizer, activist and manager for 33 years, 28 of those years with the CCNB.[9][10][11]
In 1986, Coon critiqued a United States Department of Energy-proposed nuclear waste dump site near Maine's Bottle Lake, stating that "burying this stuff at Bottle Lake is an inexpensive and rough way of getting these things out of sight and out of mind."[12] He also criticized Irving Oil for having "not shown much interest in trying to solve the pollution problem" in relation to a series of gas leak incidents causing pollution throughout New Brunswick, particularly in the Saint John area.[13][14] In 1988, following an apology towards Canadians by Vermont official Jonathan Lash for the lack of U.S. progress to combat acid rain, Coon criticized the governments of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia for "causing much of the acid rain problem in their provinces." He added that "approximately 80% of the acid rain-causing pollution emitted in the Atlantic Provinces is caused by the New Brunswick Power Commission and the Nova Scotia Power Corporation," also highlighting that both "have plans for new coal-fired power plants." Sharing the risk of acid rain in the region, Coon pointed out 175 bodies of water in New Brunswick "known to be at risk from acid rain" and added that "half the lakes and rivers in southern Nova Scotia are deteriorating."[15]
As part of the CCNB, Coon was also involved in the anti-nuclear movement in New Brunswick which opposed the construction and subsequent upgrades of the nuclear reactor at the Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating Station. In 1989, Coon stated that "the mere possibility of a serious accident with the reactor or radioactive waste stored at the site is too great a risk to justify expansion of nuclear power in the province," further adding that "It's one of the newest and it cost us a billion dollars – it better work."[16]
In 2002, Coon received the New Brunswick Environmental Network (NBEN) Phoenix Award for "his devotion to conservation and sustainable communities and for his thoughtful guidance, which has been a source of strength and inspiration for New Brunswick's environmental movement over the past two decades."[17] Later that year, he also received a silver award in the Canadian Geographic-sponsored Canadian Environment Awards,[18] and received another NBEN Phoenix Award along with fellow CCNB member Inka Milewski in 2004.[19]
In 2006, Coon criticized Irving Oil's proposal for another refinery in Saint John, stating "apparently, Mr. Irving hasn't heard we're in the midst of a global meltdown. Every new barrel of oil that is pumped out of the ground and refined is making the problem worse."[20] Coon has also provided education and training in energy efficient home renovation and home-based renewable energy systems, writing a regular column for The Globe and Mail on the topic. During his time as Policy Director at the Conservation Council, Coon's work to protect drinking water led to the creation of New Brunswick's Clean Water Act and to the province's Petroleum Product Handling and Storage Regulation.[citation needed] This earned the New Brunswick environmental organization the United Nations Environmental Programme's Global 500 award.[21]
Coon has advocated for community-based ecological resource management and land use. He worked with commercial fishermen's organizations to establish the Bay of Fundy Fisheries Council to advance community-based fishery management. His collaboration with the National Farmers Union helped create the first agricultural conservation club in New Brunswick.[citation needed]
He was a founding director of Canada's first community supported agricultural initiative, Harvest Share Co-operative on Keswick Ridge,[22] and co-founded the New Brunswick Community Land Trust.[citation needed]
In 2008, Coon began serving as the CCNB's executive director.[23] Following a 2011 radioactive spill at Point Lepreau, the only nuclear power plant in Atlantic Canada, Coon pushed for more details to be released to the public about the incident, stating that "they need to release the actual information on the radiation levels and exposures that might have resulted in this case."[24]
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Political career
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Coon was elected as the leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick at a leadership convention was held at the Fredericton Convention Centre on September 22, 2012, receiving 131 votes to runner-up to Roy MacMullin's 77.[25]
MLA for Fredericton South (2014–2024)
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During the 2014 provincial election, Coon ran for the newly created seat of Fredericton South in the Legislative Assembly. Coon won the seat with 31% of the vote against three other candidates, including Craig Leonard, the previous Energy Minister for the Progressive Conservatives.[26] He became New Brunswick's first Green legislative member,[9] and the second member of a provincial Green Party to win a seat in a provincial legislature, following Andrew Weaver in British Columbia.[26]
Since his election in 2014, Coon has introduced private member's bills aimed at increasing local food security and expanding local agriculture, creating jobs in energy efficient building renovations and renewable energy, lowering the voting age, protecting citizens against frivolous lawsuits. He has championed improving access to both mental and primary health care, alleviating poverty, the provision of midwifery services, climate action, and forest management that is socially and ecologically sound.[27] In 2015, Coon attended the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference under the invitation of Brian Gallant.[28]
During his political career, Coon has advocated for the government to fulfill calls to action made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.[29] In 2016, he called for government funding towards mandatory public school programs which would introduce the endangered Maliseet language to curriculums, which he had been advocating for since 2010.[30] Later that year, Coon spoke with University of New Brunswick director David Perley, which led to him introducing a private member's bill focused on improving the public school curriculum on indigenous education. On May 5, 2017, the bill was granted royal assent after being passed by the government.[31]
Coon was successful in securing all party support for adding a code of conduct and a statement on the roles and responsibilities for MLAs to the Standing Rules of the Legislative Assembly.
Coon was re-elected to Fredericton South in the 2018 provincial election defeating future Premier Susan Holt. His party also elected two more MLAs: Kevin Arseneau in the riding of Kent North and Megan Mitton in the riding of Memramcook-Tantramar.[32] During the 2020 provincial election, Coon, along with Arseneau and Mitton, were all re-elected to their respective seats.[33]
In June 2022, Coon's motions to officially recognize A Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Emancipation Day were unanimously passed by the Legislative Assembly.[34][35]
In September 2023, Coon appointed both Arseneau and Mitton as deputy leaders for the Green Party.[36] Following an electoral redistribution that same year, Coon's incumbent riding was replaced with two new electoral districts.
MLA for Fredericton Lincoln (2024-present)
In the 2024 provincial election Coon was elected in the new riding of Fredericton-Lincoln.[37]
As of 2025 Coon is a member of the Legislature's Standing Committee on Law Amendments, Standing Committee on Private Bills, Standing Committee on Official Languages, Standing Committee on Procedure, Privileges and Legislative Officers, and the Legislative Administration Committee. He also served as a member of the Select Committee on Climate Change, whose recommendations formed the basis of New Brunswick's Climate Action Plan, and the Select Committee on Accessibility.[27]
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Personal life
During his work at the CCNB, Coon met his future wife,[38] Janice Harvey, a St. Thomas University educator[9] who served as the CCNB director at the time.[39] They have two daughters.[9] Coon and his family lived in Fredericton before moving to rural Waweig in Charlotte County. They later returned to Fredericton to live in his planned candidacy riding of Fredericton South.[40] As of 2023, Coon continues to live in Fredericton's Skyline Acres neighbourhood within the boundaries of the Fredericton-Lincoln riding.[41]
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Electoral record
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See also
References
External links
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