John Edward Chataway (March 3, 1947 – December 31, 2004) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and Progressive Conservative Member of the

Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

for

Chester-St. Margaret's Chester—St. Margaret's is a provincial electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that elects one member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. It is located on the South Shore. The constituency was created in 1956 as a division of Lunenbur ...

from July 1999 until his death, and a cabinet minister.

Early life and education

Chataway was a graduate of Waterloo Lutheran University (now

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses ...

). He taught school in Nova Scotia and was a long-time municipal councillor.

Political career

After his election as MLA in 1999, Chataway was named Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, and Minister of Human Resources. Some of his constituents in Chester alleged he was a

slum landlord A slumlord (or slum landlord) is a slang term for a landlord, generally an absentee landlord with more than one property, who attempts to maximize profit by minimizing spending on property maintenance, often in deteriorating neighborhoods, and to ...

, a charge he denied. Chataway sold his interests in the properties to take away any appearance or hint of a conflict of interest, but resigned the Housing and Municipal Affairs portfolio on September 23, after meeting with Premier John Hamm, where both agreed that his ability to carry out his duties, specifically in that portfolio, has been eroded. He retained the Human Resources portfolio and added the Environment portfolio in a December 1999 cabinet shuffle.

Death

His health had been in decline since a brain

aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...

in February 2000. He resigned from cabinet for health reasons in January 2001, but stayed on as MLA. He suffered a stroke while visiting his sister, Joan, in Toronto in December 2004, and died a few days later.

Personal life

He was a descendant of the Chataway who surveyed the

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

–

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

border, distant cousin of

Christopher Chataway Sir Christopher John Chataway (31 January 1931 – 19 January 2014) was a British middle- and long-distance runner, television news broadcaster, and Conservative politician. Education He was born in Chelsea, London, the son of James Denys ...

, and a great admirer of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

. He attended high school in Lindsay, Ontario, and was treasurer of the student council. His twin brother, Rick, was vice-president. Inspired by his cousin, Chris, he was a very good distance runner. Chataway was very active in historical preservation efforts in the Chester area. He was an excellent amateur auctioneer, much in demand for charity fundraisers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chataway, John E. 1947 births 2004 deaths Canadian people of English descent Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs People from Fort Erie, Ontario Canadian twins Nova Scotia municipal councillors 21st-century Canadian politicians