Sheldon Chumir
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office
1986 – January 26, 1992
Preceded byBrian Lee
Succeeded byGary Dickson
ConstituencyCalgary-Buffalo
Personal details
Born(1940-12-03)December 3, 1940
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
DiedJanuary 26, 1992(1992-01-26) (aged 51)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Political partyAlberta Liberal Party
Alma materUniversity of Alberta
ProfessionLawyer

Sheldon Mervin Chumir (December 3, 1940 – January 26, 1992) was a lawyer and politician from Alberta, Canada.

Sheldon Chumir was born in Calgary to a Jewish family. He studied law at the University of Alberta, from which he graduated in 1963 with the gold medal.[1] He continued his education as a Rhodes Scholar and earned a Bachelor of Letters degree from Oxford University in 1965.

Law, business career and political activism

Chumir began his professional career as a tax lawyer with the federal Department of Justice in Toronto. In 1971, he joined a Calgary law firm. In 1976, he launched his own private practice focusing on civil liberties cases which on occasion provided representation on a pro-bono basis.[2] He lectured on civil liberties and human rights at the University of Calgary Law School and founded the Calgary Civil Liberties Association. He was also an entrepreneur; he founded a small oil and gas company, co-founded the entertainment promotion firm Brimstone Productions and engaged in real estate.

In 1983, he ventured into activism by creating Save Public Education, an organization which opposed public funding of religious schools.[3] The group ran a successful slate of candidates in a Calgary Board of Education election.

Political career

In the 1986 Alberta general election, he ran as a Liberal in the riding of Calgary Buffalo and defeated incumbent Brian Lee of the Progressive Conservative Party. He was among the first four Liberals elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta since 1969. In the Assembly, he advocated on legal affairs, human rights, energy, finance and community service, and he advocated legislation that supported human rights and civil liberties.[3] He was re-elected in 1989.

Death and legacy

Chumir died in 1992, from cancer.[4] Having no close kin, he had set up his estate to establish the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics Leadership.[5] As a politician and human rights lawyer Chumir was an advocate for human rights and believed ethical values are fundamental to a healthy society. The foundation was intended to advocate for leadership and legislature to further the advancement of democratic legislation and social reform.[6] The foundation offers internships and scholarships for students studying the field of Leadership and Law, publishes material pertaining to civil rights, and supports initiatives in the community.

The Sheldon M. Chumir Centre, an eight-story medical facility named in honor of Chumir, opened in Calgary in April 2008. The facility includes an Urgent Care Centre, Mental Health clinic, Diagnostic Imaging department and the Southern Alberta HIV Clinic.

Chumir was called one of Alberta's New Mavericks by Jamie Komarnicki of the Calgary Herald, who in Chumir's obituary described him as a "soft-spoken man with a quirky sense of humour [who] was a determined champion of public education and individual freedoms."[7][8]

In 2012, Chumir was posthumously honored by the Calgary Stampede Foundation with the centennial edition of the Western Legacy Award. This unique edition award recognized contributions of 100 Calgarians and their services to Calgary.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Cotler, Irwin. The New Human Rights Agenda:The First Sheldon Chumir Lecture. Centre for Constitutional Studies/Centre d'etudes Constitutionnelles, 'Constitutional Forum Constitutionel' Vol.6 Number 2, Winter 1995, p. 43. http://ualawccsprod.srv.ualberta.ca/ccs/images/journals/forum/1-ConstitutionalForum6_2.pdf
  2. ↑ ^ Cotler, Irwin. The New Human Rights Agenda:The First Sheldon Chumir Lecture. Centre for Constitutional Studies/Centre d'etudes Constitutionnelles, 'Constitutional Forum Constitutionel' Vol.6 Number 2, Winter 1995, p. 43. http://ualawccsprod.srv.ualberta.ca/ccs/images/journals/forum/1-ConstitutionalForum6_2.pdf, p.7
  3. 1 2 Sheldon Chumir fonds, The Glenbow Museum. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  4. ↑ Cunningham, Jim (January 28, 1992). "Tributes pour in for life of integrity". Calgary Herald. p. 1. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2013-08-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ "Organization - Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership - Canadian Business Ethics Research Ne". Archived from the original on 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  7. ↑ "SHELDON CHUMIR: Politician was a champion for the underdog". Archived from the original on 2013-08-20. Retrieved 2013-08-20.
  8. ↑ "The long list of 30 New Mavericks". www.calgaryherald.com. Retrieved 2019-08-27.
  9. ↑ "Leaving a lasting western legacy | News & Events | University of Calgary". www.ucalgary.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03.
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