Dr. Donald Chant and the Canadian Environmental Movement

When it comes to the development of the environmental movement in Canada, few, if any, individuals can match the contributions of Dr. Donald Chant. In 1969, while serving as Chair of the University of Toronto's Department of Zoology, he helped co-found Pollution Probe. As such, Chant lent the upstart group no small degree of credibility. He would serve as chairman of the Pollution Probe Foundation until 1980, at which point he was hired to serve as the chairman of the newly created Ontario Waste Management Corporation. Among the other groups he helped co-found were the Canadian Environmental Law Association, the Coalition on Acid Rain, and the Canadian Arctic Resources Council.

Dr. Chant passed away on December 23, 2007. Last week I had the opportunity to attend his memorial service at Massey College. With his friends and family in attendance, many stories were told about this most fascinating individual. I listened with interest as he was described alternately as a master fisherman, an animated storyteller, and a world class acarologist (ie. he studied mites).

As it stands, Canadian history textbooks make little, if any, reference to Dr. Chant's many contributions to society. Fortunately, we've only just begun to document the movement he helped kickstart. I suspect the textbooks of 2025 will not err in the same respect...