Merle Terlesky

Who is Merle Terlesky?

Merle Terlesky is a Canadian conservative activist and aspiring politician originally from Kamloops, British Columbia. Once affiliated with the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics, a pro-choice organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Terlesky has since become pro-life. In 2007, he represented a group in Calgary, Alberta which sought to have capital punishment reinstated in Canada.

Terleskey ran as a candidate for the Alberta Alliance Party in the riding of Lethbridge West in the 2004 Alberta provincial election, and, with 949 votes, he came in fourth place among the six candidates on the ballot in that electoral district. In September 2007, he ran for the post of alderman in Calgary, promising to ban panhandling and "squeegy kids", which he states make area residents feel uncomfortable and pose a traffic hazard.

Terlesky was diagnosed with leukemia in July 1998 and recovered after receiving a bone marrow transplant from his brother and chemotherapy.