“In The Midst Of Darkness, Hope Is The Beacon That Guides Us.” – Stephen Lewis
A Brief Tribute by Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper
Posted March 31st, 2026 on Niagara At Large
Stephen Lewis, in his later years
Somewhere in the archives of Brock University there may still be a glowing account in the Brock Press – the name of the student newspaper even way back in the 1970s – of a young Ontario NDP leader named Stephen Lewis paying a visit to the campus.
It was the early to mid 1970s and the university’s pub, named Alphie’s Trough at the tine, was packed with student, including this one, to hear this charismatic voice for everyday people who we viewed as the great hope for us and for a more just future – just as so many young people view his son Avi Lewis, the newly elected leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, as a ray of hope for their future today.
Stephen Lewis died this March 31st at age 88 after a battle with cancer – a man that could have and would have been one of the best, if not the best Premier the Province of Ontario ever had it not been for all of the small c-conservative minded people out there who were not ready for his brand of economic fairness and-justice-for-all democratic socialism. (Why not stupidly settle for anti-common good premiers like Mike Harris and Doug Ford instead.)
But it wasn’t over with his time as an Ontario NDP leader. He went on to do Canada proud as our Ambassador to the United Nations and as one of the world’s most passionate voices for fighting the AIDs epidemic in Africa, not to mention working for peace and democracy for people living under brutal regimes there.
His death is a big loss for this world but it is at least comforting to know that so many of the social justice and environmental issues he stood for will live on through his son Avi Lewis and his daughter-in-law and another great voice for social justice and climate action, Naomi Klein.
Rest In Peace, Stephen Lewis
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Doug Draper, Niagara At Large
For a CBC TV tribute to Stephen Lewis, please click on the screen immediately below –
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