Jim Green (Canadian politician)

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Green moved to Canada to avoid being drafted for the Vietnam War.^[1] Green held a Masters in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia, a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Carolina,^[2] and studied at the Sorbonne, the Millennium Film Institute in New York, and the University of Colorado.^[3]

Early in his career, Green worked as a longshoreman and a taxicab driver.^[4]

Green was an advocate for the city's Downtown Eastside and led the development of many social housing projects, including the experimental Woodward's Building redevelopment designed by architect Gregory Henriquez^[5] He was a development consultant for developers and non-profit community groups.^[6] In 2009 he left his role as CEO of the Misty Isles Economic Development Society to take a position working with Millennium Developments Ltd. on the 2010 Olympic Village development in Vancouver.^[7][8]

Green taught opera and architecture at the University of British Columbia^[2] and Anthropology at Simon Fraser University,^[3] and co-founded the University of British Columbia Urban Field School.^[2] Green was the 1996 recipient of UBC's Great Trekker Award, given by the students to an alumnus who has achieved distinction in their career.^[9] Green was chair of Four Corners Community Savings, which was closed by the Gordon Campbell led BC Government.^{[citation needed]} He served on the board of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.^{[citation needed]}

Green co-founded the Portland Hotel Society which operates Insite, the first legal safe injection site in North America.^[10]

In 2002 he was elected to Vancouver City Council as a member of the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE),^[11] and subsequently, with mayor Larry Campbell, councillor Raymond Louie, and councillor Tim Stevenson left to form a new party, Vision Vancouver.^[3] Under the Vision Vancouver banner, he unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2005, losing to Sam Sullivan by 3,747 votes.^[12][13] Some blamed voter confusion for his loss, as there was an unknown candidate named "James Green" who received 4,273 votes.^[14][13]

It was the second time Green had run for mayor unsuccessfully, having been beaten as a member of COPE by then-NPA mayor Gordon Campbell in 1990.^{[citation needed]} Six years later, Green again faced Campbell, this time in the 1996 provincial election for the MLA seat in Vancouver-Point Grey. Green, a New Democrat, was defeated by BC Liberal leader and future premier Gordon Campbell 12,637 to 11,074.^[15]

In 2008, Green supported Gregor Robertson in his successful run for mayor of Vancouver.^[6]

In February 2012, his family released a brief statement saying he had suffered a serious recurrence of the lung cancer.^[16] At 06:15 PST on February 28, 2012, Green died of his illness.^[17]