The tragedy of Trevor Zinck's public meltdown

I’ve only met Trevor Zinck once. Back in 2007 when I was working on a story about the far-too-many children who fall through the cracks of our child welfare system and he was a fresh-faced NDP MLA, we both attended a meeting examining other, better child welfare models. Afterward, Zinck handed me his card, offered his assistance. He seemed earnest, and genuinely concerned.

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How to square that Trevor Zinck with the off-the-rails unnatural disaster he has become this past month? The Trevor Zinck who allegedly played so fast and loose with his MLA expenses he got kicked out of the NDP caucus? The Trevor Zinck who stands accused of running up a $10,000 gambling debt on the credit card of a disabled friend for whom he was once a care-giver? The Trevor Zinck who now blames everyone else for his troubles?

The simple, and most likely answer is that Zinck’s “problems” with alcohol and gambling—which he has publicly acknowledged in an offhanded way but has clearly not yet accepted as serious, or seemingly done anything to deal with—have warped his political and personal judgments.

Without getting all-Dr.-Phil, it seems obvious Trevor Zinck is in denial.

When he got kicked out of the caucus, for example, Zinck dismissed concerns about his own alleged failure to pay routine bills for which he’d already been reimbursed. If there’d been a problem, he argued, it was just bookkeeping. And he’d taken care of it. He lashed out at Darrell Dexter, accusing the premier of plotting to oust him as a way to scare other unidentified NDP MLAs from voting against the government’s upcoming budget. And he claimed House Speaker Charlie Parker’s decision to ask the auditor general to look into his expenses was partisan and “unparliamentary.”

When his former friend reluctantly went public about Zinck’s alleged failure to repay the credit card debt, Zinck claimed the NDP put the man’s family up to it. The family denied the allegation.

Zinck’s most recent claim that all these unlikely conspiracies are somehow intended to undermine what he claims is widespread public support for him among his constituents appears—to be generous—delusional.

In the end, there are two issues here.

The first, of course, is the public issue of Trevor Zinck’s ability—and legitimacy—to continue as an MLA. Let’s leave that for today.

The larger, sadder and more human issue is that Trevor Zinck needs help. The tragedy is that he still doesn’t—or won’t—recognize just how much. Let’s hope, for his sake, that that changes. Before it’s too late.

  1. it is not a wonder that politicians are so corrupted when voters like those above are gullible and are willing to let them rip off taxpayers without punishment! you girls must be his bestgirlfriends… to me no caring elected person acts like he is acting, he is a totally self-serving person. We need more people like Mr. S. Kimber, thank you for the true information coming out, and I’m happy to see in the news he will pay for that or be sent to an institution to heal his head. You girls can visit him in jail or at the AA or gamblers anonymous and help him pay his debts to society and taxpayers.

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  2. hum hum so you ladies must have been in you heat then, what are your thoughts now? since he is seeing a shrink and everything that was said here is now in the opened and is all all all true

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  3. I have heard alot of good things about Trevor Zinck …… so what if he has some issues he has to deal with , who is perfect anyway ? I believe he truly cares about people , go sit in his office and watch the constant stream of people coming in that he helps . As far as I am concerned after finally meeting him , he is a good person and there are to few CARING goverment members out there so why try to bash him .

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  4. Sounding pretty desperate there Laura or your either a friend or family member trying to make Kimber look good…lmao…too many people know where Kimber’s loyalty lies regards to children in care and their families….too bad that I didn’t ask to see the rough copy of the transcript to my story ” Lost Children ” before it was published but then again I don’t recall a phone call from Kimber asking me either 🙁

    …and he says in a personal email to me that he truely cares about the children in care…he certainly showed how much he doesn’t when he couldn’t even right the story accurately.

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  5. Steven Kimber was outed by me as a fraud when he did the Uniacke Square piece a few years ago. His editor did not print my reply to his article I guess the peeps are not ready for the truth instead of the faux truth. Kimber is a pathetic excuse of journalism who hugs the thugs in our city while attacking Zinck who has done more than most with vulnerable populations. Kimber is a painful side show to read and he really should leave the big discussions to the big people who are not afraid to delve into the deep crap ponds of HRM and come up with dirt on their faces. It takes real human beings to do real human work.
    Please reimburse all your students taking your ‘course’….we already have enough puppets and politricking in the NS media as it is.

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  6. I don’t know, the guy sounds pretty cool to me. Is he single?

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  7. Kimber, this is journalistic crap!You simply parroted the Dextmister. Did you listen to the interview with Krystal? I think not because you would have been able to come up with at least one original comment.Your slander has no merit except for enabling the same ol’e, same ol’e to be kept in place.
    You met Zinck once! Your tactics and vicious gossip reveal more about you than Zinck. You need to examine your motives. Is it the BIG public relations job with the NDP you’re after?
    Not at this age!

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  8. Trevor Zinck isn’t the one needing help Mr.Kimber ,it is yourself…oh by the way…I now have the proof that you lied when you done my families story…want to keep slamming Trevor…it’s going to be high time for you to be slammed as a journalist who’s a government follower instead of being a journalistic leader…I feel really bad for the students your teaching…as a matter of fact I think I should be talking to them and showing them my evidence against you!

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