Nick Ternette

Nick Ternette (January 1945 – 3 March 2013) was a German-born Canadian politician and political activist in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was a perennial candidate for mayor of the city, representing left-wing and socialist policies. The Winnipeg Free Press once called him "the city's best-known left-leaning activist".[1]

Family life and education

Ternette was born in West Berlin, Germany, the only child of Serafina, an aristocrat who had studied art in Turkey, and Georg, a working-class man who had also served in the German army. The family moved to Winnipeg in 1955 when Nick was ten years old, and Georg worked on the railway while Serfina stayed home painting and raising her son. Nick learned English quickly, but was taunted due to his German accent with his peers yelling "Nazi" at him.[2] He was an alumnus of the University of Winnipeg,[3] holding a Bachelor of Sociology and Political Science degree.

Ternette met his wife Emily in 1985, and they married in 1993.[2] He had one daughter, Tegan, from a previous relationship.[2]

Career

Ternette served as president of the NDP riding association in Crescentwood during the early 1970s. He first ran for mayor of Winnipeg in 1977, and finished third against more prominent candidates Robert Steen and Bill Norrie.[3] He ran again in 1986, describing himself as the only genuinely left-wing candidate in the race. He promoted feminist and environmental issues, and claimed to be influenced by the Green Party of Germany.

He campaigned for the leadership of the Manitoba New Democratic Party in 1979, but withdrew before the party's leadership convention and backed rival candidate Muriel Smith.

He formed a local "Green Party" to contest the 1989 mayoral election, and offered endorsements to candidates for city council Such Glen Murray, Greg Selinger and Mike Gidora. (Ternette would later become one of Murray's most vocal critics from the left, after Murray was elected mayor of the city.) Ternette's "Green Party" dissolved soon after the election, and has no connection to the Green Party of Canada or the current Green Party of Manitoba.

He wrote a column entitled "Left Punch" for Uptown magazine in Winnipeg. He also worked as a delivery man for the Winnipeg Sun, a right-wing tabloid.

He described himself as a protest candidate in the 2002 mayoral election, claiming "there has to be a socialist opposition". He argued that the city's wards were too large, arguing that the city had 29 provincial MLAs but only 15 municipal councillors.

Ternette was arrested in June 2004 after attending a peace rally in Winnipeg. One of the charges raised against him was organizing a rally without a permit, although Ternette denied that he was even an organizer of the event. The charges against him were not criminal; many believe that they were politically motivated.

In recent columns, he has endorsed proportional representation and called for the NDP to return to its socialist roots.

In 2009, Ternette lost his legs and all his teeth due to a flesh-eating bacteria.[4]

Death

Ternette died 3 March 2013, at St. Boniface Hospital's palliative care unit, in Winnipeg.[5] His autobiography, Rebel Without a Pause, was published in 2013.[2]

Electoral record

References

  1. ↑ Welch, Mary Agnes; Bryksa, Joe (23 July 2011). "Nick's still kicking", Winnipeg Free Press, p. J1.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Martin, Melissa (18 March 2013). "Relentless activist never gave up the fight", The Globe and Mail, p. S8.
  3. 1 2 Rollason, Kevin (5 March 2013). "The people's advocate", Winnipeg Free Press, p. B1.
  4. ↑ Gordon Sinclair, Jr. (2009-08-18). "Winnipeggers open hearts to longtime activist". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
  5. ↑ Melissa Martin. "Nick Ternette was a relentless activist and committed citizen". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
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