Jim Bradley spent more than half a century in public life, most of them as the second-longest serving MPP ever. But even his closest friends weren’t sure what to expect at the celebration of life held for him in St. Catharines on Saturday.
How many siblings did he have? How many nieces and nephews? We knew he never married and had no children, but much of the rest of his private life was, well, private. When Bradley was asked about it, he’d respond, “That’s on a need-to-know basis, and you don’t need to know.”
It didn’t deter a few hundred of Bradley’s friends and admirers, from all parties and communities, from gathering to remember him. The church lobby and parking lot were nearly full two hours before the ceremony was to begin.
James Joseph “Jim” Bradley died on September 26, having undergone medical assistance in dying. He was suffering from the effects of a severe stroke as well as liver cancer. He served nearly 41 consecutive years at Queen’s Park from 1977 to 2018, bookended by an additional 14 years in municipal politics — an astonishing contribution to public life.
Jim Bradley is widely considered the best environment minister Ontario ever had. (Courtesy Steve Paikin)
His fellow former MPP (now a senator) Sandra Pupatello absolutely crushed her eulogy, telling story after story from their time together in the Liberal caucus from 1995 to 2011. It’s hard to think of two caucus colleagues who had less in common than Pupatello and Bradley. She is tall, striking, demonstrative, Italian, and larger-than-life; he was short, quiet, calm, waspy, and could be quite introverted. And yet, the two adored each other.
Pupatello had the crowd in stitches when she described Bradley as a steak and potatoes guy who never exercised. One day, she asked him: “What would your body do if it ever met a vegetable?” To which Bradley answered, “No, no, we’re not going to shock the system like that.”
Sen. Sandra Pupatello, a cabinet colleague of Bradley's in Dalton McGuinty's government, gave a rousing eulogy. (Steve Paikin)
When Premier David Peterson tapped Bradley for the environment job in his cabinet in 1985, the new 40-year-old minister staffed his office with a group of idealistic environmentalists who became known as the Bradley Brats. “They became greener than the Greens,” said Pupatello. “His office was where the term eco-terrorist was born.”
(After the ceremony, Green Party leader Mike Schreiner told me, “He was the leader of the Green Party before there was a Green Party.”)
Some of the original Bradley Brats: Gary Gallon, Mark Rudolph, Bradley, and David Oved. (Courtesy Mark Rudolph)
The Bradley Brats helped their minister implement some historically important programs, such as introducing North America’s first blue box recycling plan and Countdown Acid Rain — staring down the worst polluters and forcing them to clean up their act.
“The greatest thing about Jim Bradley was the loyalty he inspired in his staff,” one of the Bradley Brats, David Oved, told me. The gang continued to get together for years; Bradley treated 40 of his former staffers to an expensive steak dinner just last year.
Two of the Bradley Brats: David Oved and Mark Rudolph. (Steve Paikin)
“His staff would walk on hot coals for him,” Pupatello said.
Pupatello recalled when Bradley met with Detroit’s mayor, Coleman Young, and threatened to sue the border city for its failure to put pollution-reducing scrubbers on its waste incinerator. When Pupatello asked Bradley how the meeting went, Bradley said, “He called me something that related to something gross I should do with my mother.”
Former premier David Peterson speaks with Bradley's oldest brother, 93-year-old Jerry.
Pupatello reminded everyone that Bradley lost his first two attempts to get elected to the Ontario Legislature (in 1967 and 1971). As a result, Bradley often admonished first-time losers: “Don’t give up. It took me three times to get here.”
But once he did, Bradley won 11 straight elections and saw eight premiers come and go, oftentimes testing the patience of the Liberal election brass. Pupatello said Bradley had the “most political nose of anyone.” His election signs, “sometimes used the party logo, sometimes not; sometimes had the leader’s picture, sometimes not. Ultimately, the party was just happy that the signs were in red.”
Former cabinet colleagues Charles Beer, Kathryn McGarry, and Gerard Kennedy. (Steve Paikin)
Bradley’s humour was accompanied by a passion for public service. Perhaps because he never had a spouse or children, his constituents in St. Catharines and his friends at Queen’s Park were very much his family. He once told Pupatello: “We both know that deep down, we have a secret yearning to make life better for others.”
Archie Katzman, age 95, reminisces with Bradley's oldest brother, 93-year-old Jerry. (Steve Paikin)
His last words to his former cabinet colleague were: “I’ve had a good run.”
“Jim,” Pupatello concluded, “you were a great parliamentarian and a great friend.”
Two brothers, Bruce and James Williamson, said Bradley became an adopted member of their family. Bruce was a Grade 8 student of Bradley’s when the MPP was still a teacher. James poked fun at Bradley’s well-known refusal to exercise, “lest it displace some arterial plaque.”
One of the Bradley Brats, David Oved. (Steve Paikin)
Bradley was also a notorious hypochondriac who wiped off forks and plates at public events before using them. “Welcome to this celebration,” James said, “or, as Jim would have called it, a super-spreader event.”
He added that Bradley didn’t adapt well to an increasingly cashless society and always carried $200 in his wallet. When James asked why, Bradley told him: Well, if I get mugged, the last thing I want people to read in the St. Catharines Standard was that I only had $10 on me.
Bradley was in municipal politics before and after Queen's Park. (Courtesy Steve Paikin)
James also recalled some legendary political discussions with Bradley, in which the younger man would offer his words of counsel. Bradley would listen patiently, then respond: “Thank you very much for your advice. On this occasion, I have decided to take the advice of the one of us who’s been elected 11 times.”
It was a reminder that for all his populist rhetoric (“That’s not what they’re saying down at the Golden Pheasant,” he’d say, referencing one of St. Catharines’ most famous watering holes), Bradley was a shrewd and tough cabinet operator.
Former MPPs Dianne Cunningham (PC) and Karen Haslam (NDP). (Steve Paikin)
“He could do the folksy stuff, but he was incredibly effective and crafty in cabinet at getting things done,” his former cabinet colleague Gerard Kennedy told me.
Bradley was a sports fanatic. He’d travel all over North America for sports road trips, often accompanied by the Brats or other political or local friends. And he was not a patient fan. He was convinced whenever his beloved Buffalo Sabres played the Toronto Maple Leafs that “the zebras” (meaning, the referees) had it in for his team. He could be so caustic yelling at the Blue Jays that, one time, a woman sitting in front of him turned around and said, “Sir, I really hope you’re able to find some joy in life someday.”
Liberal MP Yvan Baker with former finance minister Charles Sousa and former Speaker Ted Arnott. (Steve Paikin)
Bradley was a proud Luddite who refused to give up his flip-phone until 2019. I once asked him, “Do you actually read any of the messages I text to you?”
“Oh yes, all of them,” he said. “I just can’t respond.”
One of his nephews added, “I’d text an invitation to Jim to come to dinner and two days later, he’d call to confirm.”
Sandra Pupatello and Charles Sousa ran against each other at the 2013 Liberal leadership convention, won by Kathleen Wynne. (Steve Paikin)
James Williamson also talked about Bradley’s serious side. He noted how, mostly thanks to Donald Trump, there seemed to be no downside anymore for appalling behaviour in politics. “He regretted that his integrity-based approach was now out of fashion,” James said, adding that career politicians “are now met with scorn. But at 55 years, Jim Bradley was quite simply the best who’s ever done it. And it ended too soon.”
That may be an odd thing to say about someone who served in politics until age 80, but everyone in Bethany Community Church believed it.
Jim Bradley started his career as a teacher before getting into politics. (Courtesy Steve Paikin)
It’s telling that Bradley drew a crowd of colleagues from all four parties currently occupying seats in the legislature. Premier Doug Ford attended the family visitation on Friday. Former premiers David Peterson and Kathleen Wynne were in attendance, while Dalton McGuinty sent word that he would have been there if not for a family wedding. Bradley served in cabinet for all three former premiers.
And to show the power of Bradley’s ability to bring people together, even Pupatello and Wynne — intense competitors at the 2013 Liberal leadership convention — shared a warm hug.
Bradley won his first election to Queen's Park in 1977 and served until 2018. (Steve Paikin)
There were simply too many current and former MPs, MPPs, and municipal politicians in attendance to name here. Bradley could be a wiseacre partisan heckler with the best of ‘em, but never vicious or personal, and ultimately had friends on all sides of the house.
The service was frequently interrupted by laughter and applause, and after nearly two hours of reminiscences, ended with Vera Lynn’s 1939 classic, “We’ll Meet Again.” It was a lovely and hopeful note on which to end.
“You have had our backs and we owe you huge,” eulogized his friend Mary Ann Edwards. “Jim Bradley’s tracks will never fade or diminish, and they’ll continue to inspire us.”
Well said.
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