Errol Povah

Errol Eric Povah (January 31, 1953-) is a community activist in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Povah is best known for his alter ego The Grim Reaper. As the Grim Reaper, Povah has been a presence wherever the consumption of tobacco is promoted, primarily in Vancouver and Victoria, but also in Ottawa, Seattle, Kuala Lumpur and, most recently, Washington DC.
He was a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society crew that attempted to stop the killing of a whale at Neah Bay, WA in 1999.
He has acted on behalf of several Canadian immigrant families to forestall their deportation from Canada.
In 1996, Povah was arrested for throwing a paint bomb at a Player's cigarette advertising billboard. He stood trial, and was given an absolute discharge. The transcript of the trial is available on the Airspace Action on Smoking and Health site.
He is currently President of Airspace Action on Smoking and Health.
In 2010, Povah did the Journey for a Tobacco-Free World. The Journey was a run-walk from Victoria, BC to New York City via Montreal, and was an effort to build support for the eradication of tobacco from this planet.
In late 2013 and 2014, Povah was Second Mate on the M/Y Sam Simon, one of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ships participating in Operation Relentless, an effort to halt Japanese whale hunting in the Antarctic.
Povah was on the Sam Simon again during the summer of 2015. This time, it was Operation Sleppid Grindini, an effort to halt the slaughter of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands.
In November 2016-January 2017, he was on the M/Y Farley Mowat for Operation Milagro III, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's effort to protect the vaquita porpoise and totoaba bass populations in the Gulf of California from extinction.
Povah played a role in the long and ultimately successful campaign to end the captivity of cetaceans at the Vancouver Aquarium.
On March 17, 2018, he was arrested at a Kinder Morgan work site in Burnaby, BC, and charged with criminal contempt of court. He was found guilty, and sentenced to do community service.

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