Peter Petrasuk (July 12, 1926 – April 11, 2016) 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 ...

businessman, former

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, and former politician. Petrasuk changed his name to Peter Peterson following his criminal conviction.

Early life

Born in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

in 1926, Petrasuk came to Canada when his family immigrated in 1931. The family settled at first in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, but moved in 1941 to

Rosebud, Alberta Rosebud, Alberta is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within Wheatland County. Previously an incorporated municipality, Rosebud dissolved from village status on January 1, 1946, to become part of the Municipal District of Grasswold No. 248. ...

, where they operated a local hotel. Petrasuk graduated from the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

with a

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engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

before being hired by the city of

Maracaibo, Venezuela ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...

as the head of planning, development, and management of the city's utility system. He later returned to Canada and graduated from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

with a

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

degree in 1958. Petrasuk articled for

Merv Leitch Clarence Mervin "Merv" Leitch (January 13, 1926 – June 30, 1990) was a former lawyer and provincial level politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1971 to 1982 sitting with the governing ...

and was admitted to the Bar in Alberta on June 16, 1959. He moved to Calgary and in 1966 was elected to

Calgary City Council The Calgary City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Calgary. The council consists of 15 members: the chief elected official, titled the mayor, and 14 councillors. Jyoti Gondek was elected mayor in October 202 ...

, remaining there until 1974. Petrasuk unsuccessfully contested the office of

Mayor of Calgary This is a list of mayors of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. List of Mayors of Calgary See also * List of Calgary municipal elections *Calgary City Council Notes References SourcesBiographies of Calgary's mayors from the City of Calgary web p ...

in 1974, 1977 and 1980. Petrasuk also contested the

1968 Canadian federal election The 1968 Canadian federal election was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 28th Parliament of Canada. In April 1968, Prime Minister Lester Pearson of the Liberal Party resigned as party leader as a ...

as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidate in

Calgary North Calgary North was a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1953 to 1997. This riding was created in 1952 from parts of the Bow River, Calgary West and East Calgary ridings. The e ...

Disbarment

In 1981, Petrasuk pleaded guilty to twelve counts of theft and breach of trust under the ''

Criminal Code A criminal code (or penal code) is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that migh ...

'' after stealing almost $1-million from clients of his law practice, including his own mother. He was sentenced to ten years in the

Bowden Bowden may refer to: Places Australia * Bowden Island, one of the Family Islands in Queensland * Bowden, South Australia, northwestern suburb of Adelaide * Bowden railway station Canada * Bowden, Alberta, town in central Alberta England * Bowde ...

Institution, a federal penitentiary in central Alberta. Petrasuk was paroled in 1987, but had his parole revoked in 1990 due to helping two inmates who escaped from Drumheller prison. Compensation claims related to Petrasuk's actions depleted the Law Society of Alberta's assurance fund and totaled $3.9-million, requiring lawyers in the province to pay $1,000 each to top up the fund. Petrasuk was

disbarred Disbarment, also known as striking off, is the removal of a lawyer from a bar association or the practice of law, thus revoking their law license or admission to practice law. Disbarment is usually a punishment for unethical or criminal conduct ...

on February 6, 1982. Petrasuk died on April 11, 2016.

References

External links

Biography of Peter Petrasuk
from the City of Calgary (retrieved September 18, 2006) 1926 births 2016 deaths Ukrainian emigrants to Canada Calgary city councillors Alberta Liberal Party candidates in Alberta provincial elections Disbarred lawyers {{Alberta-politician-stub