Michael Perley (BA ’70) is an environmental and public health advocate whose exceptional leadership has earned him one of Canada’s highest honors, the Order of Canada. He’s being recognized for his transformative work on tobacco control, creating smoke-free spaces and influencing significant legislative changes on acid rain emissions and air pollution in Canada and the United States.
“Being recognized at the highest level for having made some concrete contributions to better Canada and Canadian life validates what I thought about our work on acid rain and what a number of us in the health community thought about the work to achieve tangible benefits like the smoke-free workplace and provincial statutes,” says Michael.
Before his transition to environmental and health advocacy, Michael had a desire to teach French, a goal that led him to pursue his undergraduate studies at York’s Glendon Campus.
“The campus was beautiful, it was the sixties, a wonderful place to go to university,” says Michael. “I felt it was much more tight-knit than I imagined and it was easy to get in touch with professors.”
However, after completing his graduate studies in French Literature and Philosophy, Michael’s aspirations changed. He decided he no longer wanted to continue with his graduate studies and had no plan on what path he would take next. He would go on to complete various short-term jobs until he landed a role with the Canadian Environmental Law Research Foundation, where he was retained to write a book on acid rain.
This role marked the start of Michael’s environmental advocacy, which led to him forming the Canadian Coalition on Acid Rain with his colleague Adele Hurley in 1981. Michael spent the next decade lobbying in Canada and the United States for acid rain emissions controls. After successfully advocating for enforceable provincial regulations in Canada, such as provincial controls on smelter and coal-fired electricity generation sources, the Coalition helped pass amendments to the revised US Clean Air Act signed into law in 1990 by then-President Bush. The Coalition closed in 1991.
“We had as the coalition, the objective of getting these pieces of legislation, and as soon as we did, we decided our job was done,” says Michael. “We did what we said we were going to do, or we helped get it done, and so we put ourselves out of business.”
After working as a consultant for a few years, Michael received an offer from health agencies led by the Non-Smokers Rights Association to become the director of the Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco. As director, Michael was instrumental in helping pass smoke-free bylaws in restaurants and public places which also led to provincial legislation.
“Protecting the public from second-hand smoke exposure was probably what I would consider the main highlight, and making public places much healthier and less damaging,” says Michael.
Today, Michael is building on decades of environmental advocacy as a volunteer with the county of Northumberland, where he is lending his expertise in the development of an adaptation and resilience program regarding climate change for the county.
Michael emphasizes the opportunities available to students who are passionate about making a difference.
“There are countless opportunities to help in the fight against climate change and the rapid loss of prime agricultural land,” says Michael. “Joining these battles increase one’s skills and sense of self-worth, while helping communities maintain a decent quality of life. They are incredibly worth it!”