Peter Petrasuk

Who is Peter Petrasuk?

Peter Petrasuk is a Canadian businessman, lawyer, and former politician.

Born in Ukraine in 1926, Petrasuk came to Canada when his family immigrated in 1931. The family settled at first in Calgary, Alberta, but moved in 1941 to Rosebud, Alberta, where they operated a local hotel.

Petrasuk graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in engineering before being hired by the city of Maracaibo, Venezuela as the head of planning, development, and management of the city's utility system. He later returned to Canada and graduated from the University of British Columbia with a law degree. He moved to Calgary and in 1966 was voted onto the city council, remaining there until 1974. In that year and again in 1977 Petrasuk ran unsuccessfully for mayor; he also ran in various provincial and federal elections during the late 1970s.

In 1981, Petrasuk pled guilty to charges of theft and breach of trust after having stolen almost $1,000,000.00 from clients of his law practice, including his own mother. He was sentenced to ten years in the Bowden Institution, a federal penitentiary in central Alberta.