Bill Estabrooks, former N.S. MLA, dies at age 76

A popular Nova Scotia MLA who served in the legislature for 15 years has died.

The Nova Scotia New Democrats confirmed Wednesday evening that Bill Estabrooks has passed away. He was 76 years old.

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Estabrooks represented the Timberlea-Prospect riding from March 1998 to September 2013 as part of the New Democratic Party. A former teacher and school administrator, Estabrooks served as a minister for numerous departments, including energy and transportation and infrastructure renewal.

Estabrooks, who was born in Sackville, N.B., in 1947, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2008, which influenced his decision to retire from provincial politics in 2013.

“I won’t miss the partisanship of the legislature, I won’t miss the name-calling, I won’t miss some of the pettiness of politics, but I’ll miss the personal contact with my constituents,” Estabrooks said in an interview with CTV News Atlantic at the time of his retirement.

“I’ll miss the comments about the Boston Bruins. I’ll miss the fact that people turn to you on some things that are absolutely inexplicable as to why they’d come to an MLA, you know, with personal problems and those sorts of things, and being able to help those people out.”

Former Nova Scotia NDP leader Darrell Dexter was premier when Estabrooks retired and said the MLA would be missed at the legislature.

“He was famous for getting out in between elections and knocking on doors, understanding that people really wanted to have someone to listen to them,” he said.

In addition to his political career, Estabrooks was a huge Boston Bruins fan.

He’d reportedly been living in Edmonton with family in recent years.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.