Zed Chebib (Born Ziad Khoder Chebib, 1955[1]) is a Lebanese-born Canadian limousine driver and police reform advocate who is most known for being deported from Australia despite having resided in the country with his family for over a decade.[2] He was a candidate in the 2022 Ottawa mayoral election, finishing in last place with 0.08% or 264 votes.
Zed Chebib | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ziad Khoder Chebib 1955 (Age 68 or 69) |
| Citizenship | Canadian |
| Political party | Independent |
Biography
editBorn in Lebanon, Chebib emigrated to Canada in 1976.[2] He resided in Calgary where he operated a limousine business named Limocab and became a naturalized citizen.[3][4] While working as a cab driver, Chebib often sued various taxi companies.[4][5]
He emigrated to Australia alongside his wife and four children in 1999 due to two of his siblings already living there.[6][7] According to Chebib, 85 members of his extended family live in Australia.[8] He attempted to seek permanent residency in Australia but was rejected because he was unable to meet income requirements of a business visa.[7]
In 2006, immigration authorities informed Chebib that his initial visa had expired, however, he was granted a temporary reprieve from the Australian government.[6] He tried to appeal to Canadian diplomats, but was rejected.[9][10] While being detained at Maribyrnong Immigration Detention Centre in 2010 he began a hunger-strike in hopes the Australian government would grant him a visa.[11][12] Chebib was flown to Vancouver and then Toronto, after ending his hunger strike he claimed to suffer heart palpitations and was denied an ambulance.[11]
On returning to Canada, Chebib protested outside of the Australian Embassy where Ottawa Police allegedly attacked and arrested him.[13] He filed a lawsuit against the officers, claiming that they had breached his civil rights and seeking nearly 2 Million Canadian dollars in damages. After nearly nine years of trial, a judge ordered him to pay each officer $1,000 due to evidence that the arrest did not cause his injuries.[13]
Political campaigns
edit1988 Calgary City Council by-election
editChebib first ran for political office in September 1988, entering a by-election for the fifth ward of the Calgary City Council.[14][15] The fifth ward had a large middle eastern and Indian community at the time.[14] Chebib's campaign was oriented toward building a new high school and reforming the city transit system.[14] He finished third out of four candidates.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonpartisanship | Yvonne Pritz | 3,327 | 53.71% | |
| Nonpartisanship | Shannon Pitts | 2,648 | 42.75% | |
| Nonpartisanship | Ziad Chebib | 127 | 2.05% | |
| Nonpartisanship | John E. Mason | 92 | 1.49% | |
| Total votes | 6,194 | 100% | ||
2022 Ottawa mayoral election
editHe ran for Mayor of Ottawa in the 2022 Ottawa mayoral election, campaigning on police and housing reform.[1][17] Not having a campaign website, he sent a website describing solutions to homelessness to media.[18] He finished in last place with 0.08% or 264 votes.
| Candidate | Popular vote | Expenditures | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±% | ||||||||||
| Mark Sutcliffe | 161,679 | 51.37 | – | $537,834.79 | ||||||||
| Catherine McKenney | 119,241 | 37.88 | – | $542,847.97 | ||||||||
| Bob Chiarelli | 15,998 | 5.08 | – | $96,844.84 | ||||||||
| Nour Kadri | 7,496 | 2.38 | – | $71,062.45 | ||||||||
| Mike Maguire | 2,775 | 0.88 | – | $5,500.00 | ||||||||
| Graham MacDonald | 1,629 | 0.52 | – | $5,334.50 | ||||||||
| Brandon Bay | 1,512 | 0.48 | – | $9,478.02 | ||||||||
| Param Singh | 1,176 | 0.37 | – | $13,650.40 | ||||||||
| Celine Debassige | 867 | 0.28 | – | none listed | ||||||||
| Ade Olumide | 636 | 0.20 | – | $1,966.25 | ||||||||
| Gregory Jreg Guevara | 584 | 0.19 | – | $2,349.61 | ||||||||
| Bernard Couchman | 471 | 0.15 | -0.21 | none listed | ||||||||
| Jacob Solomon | 432 | 0.14 | – | none listed | ||||||||
| Zed Chebib | 264 | 0.08 | – | none listed | ||||||||
| Total valid votes | 314,760 | 99.53 | ||||||||||
| Total rejected, unmarked and declined votes | 1,500 | 0.47 | -0.92 | |||||||||
| Turnout | 316,260 | 43.79 | +1.24 | |||||||||
| Eligible voters | 722,227 | |||||||||||
| Note: Candidate campaign colours are based on the prominent colour used in campaign items (signs, literature, etc.) and are used as a visual differentiation between candidates. | ||||||||||||
| Sources: City of Ottawa[19][20] | ||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ a b "Meet your candidates for mayor". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ a b "Australia set to deport Canadian". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-12-06. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Australian government isn't saying when Canadian on hunger strike will be deported". Red Deer Advocate. 2009-12-07. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ a b Beaty, Bob (1994-06-08). "Cabby takes on bylaw". Calgary Herald. p. 30 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Slade, Daryl (1995-10-27). "Driver vows defiance". Calgary Herald. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Canadian hunger-striker deported from Australia". CTVNews. 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ a b "Man deported from Aust sues for $A2.35m". 9News. 2012-05-15. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ Shephard, Michelle (2009-12-07). "Hunger striker protests deportation to Canada". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Calgary émigré deported from Australia". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2010-02-03. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ Duncan, Jamie (2010-01-28). "Hunger-striking Canadian arrested at shops". news.com.au. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ a b Duncan, Jamie (2010-02-04). "Deported Canadian claims mistreatment". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "Canadian facing deportation in Australia goes on hunger strike". The Globe and Mail. 2009-12-05. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ a b Laucius, Joanne (2019-10-24). "Judge dismisses $2 million excessive force lawsuit against three Ottawa officers". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ a b c Cattaneo, Claudia (1988-09-18). "Vote turns focus on the northeast". Calgary Herald. p. 27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Cattaneo, Claudia (1988-08-30). "Pitts given strong boost". Calgary Herald. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Victory and defeat". Calgary Herald. 1988-09-25. p. 28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mairie d'Ottawa : le logement, enjeu central pour les candidats". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). 2022-09-15. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ Crawford, Blair (2022-10-28). "Beyond the big three, Ottawa's mayoral hopefuls struggle to be heard". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2024-07-14.
- ^ "2022 Official election results". City of Ottawa. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
- ^ "Financial statements for the 2022 Municipal Elections". City of Ottawa. Retrieved August 11, 2023.