Dan Heap facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dan Heap
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| Member of Parliament for Trinity—Spadina |
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| In office 1988–1993 |
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| Preceded by | Riding established | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Tony Ianno | ||||||||
| Member of Parliament for Spadina |
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| In office 1981–1988 |
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| Preceded by | Peter Stollery | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Riding abolished | ||||||||
| Alderman, Toronto City Council | |||||||||
| In office 1972–1981 |
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| Preceded by | Horace Brown | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | John Sewell | ||||||||
| Metropolitan Toronto Councillor | |||||||||
| In office 1974–1978 |
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| Preceded by | William Archer | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Allan Sparrow | ||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||
| Born |
Daniel James Macdonnell Heap
September 24, 1925 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
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| Died | April 25, 2014 (aged 88) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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| Political party | |||||||||
| Spouse |
Alice Boomhour
(m. 1950; died 2012) |
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| Alma mater |
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Daniel James Macdonnell Heap (September 24, 1925 – April 25, 2014) was a Canadian activist and politician. He was known for fighting for social justice. Heap served as a Member of Parliament for the New Democratic Party. He was also a Toronto City Councillor. He was an Anglican worker-priest, meaning he combined religious work with social activism.
Heap represented the Toronto, Ontario, area of Spadina in Parliament. After 1988, this area was called Trinity—Spadina. He was an MP from 1981 to 1993. Before that, he served on the Toronto City Council from 1972 to 1981. As an activist, he worked on many important issues. These included peace, housing, homelessness, poverty, and the rights of refugees.
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Early Life and Beliefs
Daniel Heap was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on September 24, 1925. He grew up in a family that cared about social issues. His father was a lawyer and his mother taught piano. His grandfather was a Presbyterian minister, which inspired young Daniel.
When he was six, his family boycotted Japanese oranges. This was to protest the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. This showed his family's early commitment to global issues.
Heap attended Upper Canada College for high school on a scholarship. Later, he studied classics and philosophy at Queen's University.
Even though he was a pacifist (someone against war), Heap joined the Canadian Army. This was during the Second World War. He felt he could not be neutral against Nazism. Luckily, the war ended before he had to go overseas.
In 1945, Heap worked in a factory during the summer. There, he met members of the Student Christian Movement of Canada. He became a Christian socialist, believing in Christian values combined with socialist ideas. He also joined the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, which later became the New Democratic Party.
Becoming a Priest and Activist
Heap studied theology at the University of Chicago for a year. Then, he became an Anglican and moved to McGill University. He studied to become a priest there.
At McGill, he met Alice Boomhour. She was also a pacifist and an activist. They got married in 1950. That same year, he became an Anglican priest.
After working as a parish priest for a few years, Heap chose a different path. He joined the Worker-Priest movement. This meant he combined his religious ministry with social activism.
Heap moved his family to Toronto. For 18 years, he worked in a cardboard box factory. He became involved in the paperworker's union. He was elected a union representative. He wanted to bring socialist ideas to Canadian workers.
Daniel and Alice Heap raised seven children. One of their sons, Danny Heap, became a computer science lecturer. He teaches at the University of Toronto.
In 1965, Heap marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in the Selma to Montgomery marches. His family supported him by holding a sit-in in Toronto. The Heap family also welcomed many people into their home. They hosted Americans who resisted the Vietnam War and other young activists.
Political Career
Heap decided to enter politics. He campaigned against poverty, war, and homelessness. In 1968, he ran for the New Democratic Party in Spadina. He called himself a "worker priest" during his campaign.
His first success in politics came in 1972. He was elected as an Alderman for Ward 6 on the Toronto City Council. He served on the Toronto City Council from 1972 to 1981. He also represented Ward 6 on the Metropolitan Toronto Council from 1974 to 1978.
In 1981, the Member of Parliament for Spadina, Peter Stollery, was appointed to the Senate. Heap decided to run in the special election that followed. He won the election and became a Member of Parliament. He was re-elected in 1984 and 1988. He retired from politics in 1993.
As an MP, Heap was very outspoken. He continued to campaign against poverty, homelessness, and war. His main goals were world peace, workers having more control in the economy, and ending social injustice. He spoke out on issues like refugee rights and situations in places like Central America, East Timor, and South Africa. He even hired a young Olivia Chow as his assistant. She later became a well-known politician herself.
Later Life and Legacy
Even after retiring from politics, Heap remained an active activist. He strongly supported the anti-war movement. He also continued to support NDP candidates. He stayed involved with the Church of the Holy Trinity and social justice issues within the Anglican Church. In retirement, he preferred to be called "Don Heap."
In the late 1980s, Daniel and Alice Heap sold their family home. It was in Toronto's Kensington Market area. They sold it for a very low price to the Homes First Society. This group helps provide housing for refugees. Their home had been a meeting place for student activists. They worked on anti-war, anti-apartheid, and social housing movements. Many young people stayed with the Heap family over the years.
In his late seventies and early eighties, he still worked on issues like refugee rights. Heap helped start the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee. This group campaigned to end homelessness.
Heap had a heart attack in 2005. He was also diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2006. In 2011, he and his wife faced eviction from their retirement home. They had been waiting for a long-term care facility for five years. They were both admitted to the Kensington Gardens facility in October 2011. Alice Heap, his wife of 61 years, passed away in March 2012 at age 86.
Daniel Heap died on April 25, 2014. One of his sons shared a message remembering him. He was called an "advocate of the homeless, for refugees and for peace." He was also remembered as a "Pacifist, socialist, worker-priest, marxist Anglican, trade-unionist, city councillor, member of parliament, civilly disobedient marcher for human rights."
Tributes
Daniel Heap helped a single mother get childcare in the 1980s. She later became a nursing teacher. In 2013, Nadira Fraser created the "Dan and Alice Heap Bursary." This award helps single parents study nursing. There is also an athletic award named after them, called The Don & Alice Heap Rugby for all Athletic Award.
Archives
There are records about Dan Heap at Library and Archives Canada. The archival reference number is R11601.
