Gord Perks
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Gord Perks (born 1963) is a Canadian environmentalist, political activist, and writer and city councillor for Ward 14 Parkdale—High Park.
He has been a senior campaigner at the Toronto Environmental Alliance since 1997 with a focus on waste reduction and public transit. Previously, he was executive director of the Better Transportation Coalition from 1994 to 1996 and the "Pulp and Paper" campaigner at Greenpeace Canada from 1989 to 1993. From 1987 to 1989, he was with Pollution Probe where he was the principal author of the Green Consumer Guide.
Perks was the focus of province-wide attention when he disrupted Ontario Premier David Peterson's press conference launching the 1990 provincial election campaign. As Peterson announced the election and began to make a statement as to why his government should be re-elected, Perks appeared with a briefcase chained to his wrist containing a tape recorder playing a message outlining the Liberal government's environmental failings. Perks also heckled Peterson with a bullhorn. An ashen-faced Peterson endured the disruption and tried to dismiss it but the event effectively disrupted what was to have been a well orchestrated campaign launch. Greenpeace, and other groups inspired by Perks' effective disruption, plagued Peterson's campaign appearances and contributed to an unexpected public mood of distemper that led to the defeat of the Peterson's Liberals and the upset victory of Bob Rae's New Democrats.
Perks has been the environmental columnist for the Eye Weekly magazine since 2003. He also works as an adjunct professor at the Environmental Studies department of the University of Toronto.
He was a candidate for the New Democratic Party in the Toronto area riding of Davenport in the 2006 federal election. However he lost by over 7,000 votes to the incumbent Liberal, Mario Silva.
Perks was elected as city councillor in Ward 14 Parkdale—High Park in the 2006 Toronto municipal election.
