Allan Hubley
Allan Hubley is a municipal politician in Ottawa, Ontario, currently an Ottawa City Councillor for Kanata South Ward. He first ran in the Ottawa municipal election, 2006, finishing second with 5,700 votes in Kanata South, and was elected in the 2010 election with nearly 7,000 or 48.7% of the votes cast. He was re-elected in 2014 with 9,700 or 85.4% of the votes cast which was the highest percentage of votes for any candidate in the election.[1]
Born and raised in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Hubley first moved to Kanata in 1978 and has been active in his community for many years. During a ceremony at City Hall in 2007, Hubley was recognized for his extensive community service in Kanata South and across the city and was named the Citizen of the Year for the City of Ottawa.
In 2008, Hubley was chosen by the Governor General of Canada to receive the Caring Canadian Award at Rideau Hall for his community and volunteer work.
Family
Hubley is married to Wendy Barber. The couple have had three children.[2]
On October 14, 2011, Hubley's 15-year-old son Jamie committed suicide,[3] likely as a result of his depression and being subjected to anti-gay bullying at his high school.[4] An "It Gets Better" video dedicated to Hubley was posted by a contingent of Conservative Party of Canada MPs,[5][6] and comedian Rick Mercer made a statement about it on his CBC television program Rick Mercer Report.[7] Drake Jensen, a gay Canadian country singer, also dedicated his 2012 single "On My Way to Finding You" to Hubley's memory.[8]
Jamie Hubley's death was the impetus for the Accepting Schools Act, 2012, an act of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario which mandated school boards across the province to develop tougher anti-bullying programs with tougher penalties for infractions, and offered legal protections for gay-straight alliances in the province's schools.[9]
On June 3, 2013, Allan Hubley and Laureen Harper announced a new federal anti-bullying strategy, which will see approximately 2,400 teenagers across Canada trained in delivering peer education workshops and presentations against bullying for their fellow students.[10]
References
- ↑ "About Allan Hubley". Archived from the original on 11 March 2010. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
- ↑ About Allan on councillorallanhubley.ca
- ↑ "Hubley family statement: ‘Bullying was definitely a factor’". Ottawa Citizen. Oct 17, 2011.
- ↑ Hubley, Allan (Jan 7, 2012). "Teens' clubs don't need politicians' labels". Ottawa Citizen.
- ↑ "Bullied teen Jamie Hubley remembered as ‘natural-born’ performer at funeral". National Post. Oct 20, 2011.
- ↑ "It Gets Better - In Memory of Jamie Hubley". Oct 20, 2011. Retrieved Oct 24, 2011.
- ↑ "Rick Mercer's television rant against the bullying of gay teens goes viral". Winnipeg Free Press. 28 October 2011. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011.
- ↑ "Ottawa country singer dedicates video to Jamie Hubley". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
- ↑ "Anti-bullying bill passes, clearing way for gay-straight alliances in Ontario schools". The Globe and Mail, June 5, 2012.
- ↑ "Feds pledge $250K to youth-led anti-bullying project". CBC News, June 3, 2013.