David Reville

David Reville
MPP for Riverdale
In office 1985–1990
Preceded by	Jim Renwick
Succeeded by	Marilyn Churley
Personal details
Born	April 19, 1943 (1943-04-19) (age 68) Brantford, Ontario
Political party	NDP
Profession	Consultant

David Reville (born April 19, 1943) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1985 to 1990, and was later an advisor to the government of Bob Rae. Reville is a member of the New Democratic Party.

Background

Reville was born into a privileged family. After graduating from Brantford Collegiate Institute in 1961, he attended Trinity College at the University of Toronto and proceeded to law school. It was expected that he would follow the career path of his father, an Ontario judge. Instead, Reville became manic-depressive and attempted to kill himself during his law studies. He was institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital and became a crusader for mental health reform upon his release.

During an interview with Canadian Press, Reville intoned, tongue firmly in cheek, "I became a New Democrat because I was mentally ill" and was both amused and horrified when his statement appeared as a headline in newspapers across the country. He was making the point that he had begun to learn something about powerlessness in hospital, and joined the NDP to fight for marginalized people. ^[1]

Politics

Reville served on Toronto's city council from 1980 to 1985, and emerged as a popular alderman in the downtown area. He was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1985 provincial election, winning an easy victory in Riverdale. He was re-elected in the 1987 election, defeating future Liberal Member of Parliament Jim Karygiannis by about 1,500 votes. Reville was an opposition MPP throughout his time in the house.

Later life

Reville did not seek re-election in 1990, arguing that he wanted to devote his time to more useful pursuits. After the NDP won a majority government in the 1990 provincial election, he worked as a liaison on caucus matters and undertook special assignments for Premier Rae. He almost certainly would have been appointed to cabinet had he remained in the legislature.

Reville was the first (and only) chair of the Ontario Advocacy Commission. He received an award from the Council of Canadians with Disabilities in 2001. He now operates David Reville & Associates in Toronto, specializing in social research and community development. In 2004, Reville began teaching for the School of Disability Studies at Ryerson University; one of his courses is called A History of Madness and the other Mad Peoples' History.

References

1. ^ Thomas Walkom, Rae Days, pp. 41–43

External links

• Legislative Assembly of Ontario biography

Persondata
Name	Reville, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	April 19, 1943
Place of birth	Brantford, Ontario
Date of death
Place of death