Silver Donald Cameron was a leading Atlantic Canadian writer, educator and advocate for social and environmental justice. He died in Halifax in June 2020, aged 82.

Donald’s ties to UBC were deep. After graduating, he lectured in the English Department. His father, Dr. Maxwell A Cameron, BA’27, MA’33, was head of the Department of Education until his untimely death in 1951. His oldest son by his marriage to Catherine Ann Cameron, BA’60, MA’64, is Dr. Maxwell Cameron, BA’84, professor of political science. At the time of his death, Donald was married to author Marjorie Simmins, BA’84.

Donald earned an MA from the University of California and a PhD from the University of London. He was associate professor of English at the University of New Brunswick, where, with other activists, he founded the alternative newspaper The Mysterious East.

In 1971, Donald changed direction, becoming a writer, film producer and advocate based in the tiny Cape Breton community of D’Escousse. For nearly 50 years, he was the only full-time freelance writer in Cape Breton, producing 20 books, along with articles, films and radio dramas, nearly all with the themes of social and environmental justice, and harmony between human communities and nature. His last book was Blood in the Water: A True Story of Revenge in the Maritimes.

Silver Donald Cameron spent the last 10 years disseminating the wisdom of those guiding us towards a sustainable future through The Green Interview, a collection of 100-plus conversations with leading thinkers. He was also the first Farley Mowat Chair in Environment at Cape Breton University.