Robert Hunter (journalist)
Robert (Bob) Lorne Hunter (October 13, 1941 – May 2 2005) was a Canadian environmentalist, journalist, author and politician. A co-founder of Greenpeace in 1972 with Patrick Moore, David McTaggart and Paul Watson, Hunter was a long-time campaigner for environmental causes and helped lead a successful campaign to ban commercial whaling. He was named by Time as one of the ten "eco-heroes" of the 20th century.
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 was also the longtime "Enviro" columnist in Toronto's eye weekly.
Hunter surprised many when he entered politics as a candidate for the Ontario Liberal Party 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. There was a bitter campaign, which included accusations that On the Sky: Zen and the Art of International Freeloading, a novel written by Hunter some years prior, bordered on child pornography due to a scene depicting an incident of sex tourism in Thailand. The book was written in the first-person, but Hunter claimed it was a satire and was not factual. Nonetheless, he lost by almost 4,000 votes to Michael Prue of the NDP. In 2002, he called for the Liberals and the Green Party of Ontario to form an electoral alliance.
Hunter wrote numerous books on environmental subjects. In 1991, he won the Governor-General's Award 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.
Hunter was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998, and died from this disease in 2005.
Books by Robert Hunter
- Erebus 1968 ASIN B0006BV8EU
- The Enemies Of Anarchy 1970 ISBN 0771042930
- The Storming Of The Mind 1971 ISBN 0771042949
- To Save The Whale: The Voyages of Greenpeace 1978 ISBN 0877011141
- Warriors Of The Rainbow: A Chronicle of the Greenpeace Movement 1979 ISBN 0030437415
- The Greenpeace Chronicle 1980 ISBN 0330259393
- Cry Wolf! 1985 ASIN B0007B72P8
- On the Sky: Zen and the Art of International Freeloading 1988 ISBN 0771042892
- Thermageddon: Countdown to 2030 2003 ISBN 1559706678
External links
- Bob Hunter biographical information
- CBC News: Greenpeace co-founder Bob Hunter dies
- Cable Pulse 24: Legend Lost