David Hendsbee (born April 9, 1960) is a Canadian politician. He represented the

electoral district An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...

of Preston in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

from 1999 to 2003. He was a member of the

Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia The Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia, more commonly known as the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia, is a political party in Nova Scotia, Canada. Like most conservative parties in Atlantic Canada, it has been histor ...

. Today, he sits on the

Halifax Regional Council Halifax Regional Council () is the governing body of Halifax, known as the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Halifax is governed by a mayor-council system, where councillors are elected from sixteen geographic districts though a first-past-th ...

Early life and education

Born in April 1960 at

Oshawa Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Hendsbee graduated from Saint Mary's University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.

Political career

From 1989 to 1991, Hendsbee was the executive assistant to provincial cabinet minister Tom McInnis. Prior to the 1993 election, Hendsbee wanted to seek the Progressive Conservative nomination in the new Preston riding, but premier Donald Cameron refused to sign his nomination papers, prompting him to run as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

candidate. On election night, Hendsbee finished second, losing to Liberal Wayne Adams by 491 votes. Hendsbee turned to municipal politics and was elected a councillor in

Halifax County, Nova Scotia Halifax County (, ) is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. History Deriving its name from George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax (1716–1771), Halifax County was established by order-in-council on August 17, 1759. The boundari ...

. In December 1995, Hendsbee was elected a

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

for the newly established

Halifax Regional Municipality Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

. Hendsbee ran for the Progressive Conservatives in the 1999 election, and defeated New Democrat incumbent

Yvonne Atwell Yvonne Atwell (born 1943) is a Canadian community activist, former provincial politician and former hospital administrator. She is known for being the first Black woman elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. Early life and education Yvo ...

by 304 votes in the Preston riding. He served as a backbench member of

John Hamm John Frederick Hamm (born April 8, 1938) is a Canadian physician and politician, who served as the 25th premier of Nova Scotia from 1999 to 2006. Education Hamm, a graduate of the University of King's College and Dalhousie University, was a ...

's government, and was defeated by Liberal

Keith Colwell Keith Wayne Colwell (born October 3, 1947) is a Canadian politician, who served as a member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, representing the riding of Preston-Dartmouth for the Nova Scotia Liberal Party, from 1993 to 1999 and from 2003 t ...

when he ran for re-election in

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

. Following his defeat, Hendsbee announced he would run in a municipal byelection for his old Halifax Regional Council seat. In November 2003, he won the byelection, and was re-elected in the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, and 2020 municipal elections.

Personal life

Hendsbee resides in

Seaforth, Nova Scotia Seaforth is a community of the Halifax Regional Municipality in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Seaforth is home to the Hope For Wildlife Society, an organisation dedicated to helping injured wild animals. The community was named for Seaf ...

with his wife, Susan Goodyer.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hendsbee, David 1960 births Living people Halifax Regional Municipality councillors Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs Politicians from Oshawa Saint Mary's University (Halifax) alumni 20th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly 21st-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly