David Coon
Quick Facts
Biography
David Charles Coon (born October 28, 1956 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian politician, who was elected leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick on September 21, 2012. He joined the Green Party of Canada in May 2006, offering his support to long-time friend and colleague Elizabeth May in her successful run for the leadership of the federal party, and was elected to the party's federal council in 2009 and again in 2011.
Biology and conservation work
A biologist by training, Coon worked as an environmental educator, organizer, activist and manager for 33 years, 28 of those years with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
While at the Conservation Council he spearheaded an effort to unite fishermen around the Bay of Fundy, creating the Bay of Fundy Fisheries Council to work for community-based approaches to fisheries management. Coon collaborated with the National Farmers Union to create the first agricultural conservation club in New Brunswick, and he has worked with communities and woodworkers to advocate for the establishment of community-based forests on Crown lands.
Coon helped establish Harvest Share Co-op on Keswick Ridge, Canada's first community-supported agricultural initiative. He is a founder of the New Brunswick Community Land Trust and was a director of the Ganong Nature Park in St. Stephen. He has served as chair of the board of the Oak Bay Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada.
Political career
Coon ran for the seat of Fredericton South in the Legislative Assembly in the 2014 provincial election, winning the vote. He is the second member of a provincial Green Party to win a seat in a provincial legislature, following Andrew Weaver in British Columbia.