We are deeply saddened to share that our friend and fellow organizer David Greenfield has passed away. Dave was a dedicated activist who has been involved in environmental, peace, and social justice movements for decades. He joined Climate Justice Saskatoon in 2015 and was an active member ever since. He took on numerous roles over the years, from facilitating meetings to leading rallies and co-hosting our weekly radio show and podcast, From The Ground Up. He made a real mark on our city and province and will be missed by many.Â
Dave Greenfield was born in the late 1960s and grew up in Saskatoon in the 1970s and 1980s. In the early 1980s, when Dave was in his early adolescence, he became interested in a variety of peace, social justice and ecological issues. In the summer of 1984, he became involved in a very early chapter of the Green Party of Canada. That summer the Greens ran sixty candidates in the 1984 Canadian federal election, including two candidates in Saskatoon.
Dave remained involved with the chapter until it petered out in late 1987. During these three years, Dave learned about issues around uranium mining, nuclear power, deforestation, Indigenous rights and free trade, and was also introduced to the various schools of thought in the ecological movement such as Deep Ecology, Social Ecology, Ecofeminism, ecosocialism and Bioregionalism. In the late 1980s, Dave attended the University of Saskatchewan, majoring in English but also taking a smattering of history, anthropology and Sociology.
After the local Green Party chapter dissolved in late 1987, Dave remained involved in a variety of groups and mobilizations working on a number of peace, environmental and social justice concerns. During the 1990s he served on the board of the Inter-Church Uranium Committee (ICUC) a faith-based group that opposes uranium mining and the nuclear industry as a whole. He also represented ICUC to the Campaign for a Nuclear Phaseout, a national campaign/network that was active in opposing the nuclear industry at a national level. During the 1990s, Dave was also active in a local LETS barter system, and became interested in community-based economic alternatives.
In 1998-99, having been away from party politics for ten years, Dave helped to found the New Green Alliance (the party that is now known as the Saskatchewan Green Party). Between 1999 and 2004, Dave ran as a candidate several times, both provincially and federally. Dave served as vice president of the New Green Alliance from 1999 to 2002, and then as Saskatchewan’s representative to the Green Party of Canada federal council from 2002 to 2005. As a Quaker, Dave served on the board of the Canadian Friends Service Committee, the peace and justice body of Canadian Quakers, from 2003 to 2009.
Dave had drifted away from Green Party involvement after about 2007, but rejoined the party in 2019 to support Naomi Hunter’s successful bid for the provincial leadership. Dave first met Naomi back in 1991, during the protests against the first Gulf War, and was glad to hear that Naomi had decided to take on the challenge of becoming leader of the Saskatchewan Greens.
In recent years, Dave has been an active member of Climate Justice Saskatoon. He co-hosted our weekly radio show, From The Ground Up, on CFCR. He was also a member of Climate Justice Saskatoon’s Internal Organizing Group and has led and collaborated on numerous initiatives in this regard. A couple examples include the 2018 Defend The Water rally (pictured above) and 2023 rally for climate action at COP27 (pictured below). On top of this, Dave was involved with the Religious Society of Friends, the Council of Canadians, the Saskatoon Peace Coalition, the Stand Community Organizing Centre, the Steephill Food Co-op, and the Saskatoon Solar Co-operative.Â
Dave believed in the need for a deep transition to a carbon-free and nuclear-free energy economy, and in the need to recognize that we are living on a finite and fragile planet. Within the boundaries of what we are able to do on this finite planet, he believed we must create a just and peaceful world in which what we have is distributed fairly. Dave was a steadfast leader and advocate who has impacted many lives during his decades of service to his community. His determination to work for a better world stays with us.
A memorial to celebrate the life of David Greenfield will be held on Sunday, May 12th at 3:00 pm at the Unitarian Centre at 213 2nd Street East in Saskatoon. This will be a time of sharing memories and appreciations of Dave. All are welcome. It will be a hybrid gathering. If you would like to join remotely, you can find a link to do so here.
You can read more about Dave’s life and legacy in this obituary, the Council of Canadians’ tribute to him, and the Saskatchewan Green Party’s statement.