Original Captain Canuck costume returns with help from Cambridge councillor

Captain Canuck is a classic piece of Canadiana, and one Cambridge councillor has stepped up to help bring the hero back into the spotlight.

That’s been done thanks to the recovery of the original Captain Canuck costume, that had been missing for more than 40 years. It was last seen being worn by Mike Jackson, a friend of Captain Cancuck co-creator Richard Comely, in Calgary back in 1979, before it was assumed to be lost forever.

But it turns out Jackson’s ex-wife had kept the suit in storage, with it being found just in time for the character’s 50th anniversary.

Upon finding the suit, Fadi Hakim, the CEO of Lev Gleason Publications and Comic House, which is the company that owns the Captain Canuck comic character, reached out to Cambridge Ward 7 Councillor Scott Hamilton with the offer to wear the suit.

“So my response was first: of course, because you get to live that childhood dream,” Hamilton said. ” But the second thing I did was kind of make a clarification to say that I will do this, but I’ll do it on the condition that we can use this opportunity to raise money for local charities.”

Fadi and Comely agreed and sent him the suit in preparation for both raising money for charity and to celebrate the character’s 50th anniversary.

Hamilton first got involved with the character a few months ago when he teamed up with United Way Waterloo Region Communities to make a Captain Cancuk T-shirt to raise money for charity.

But before they could get things going, the suit would need some touching up, having gotten a bit dirty in the 40 years it was in storage.

“What do you do with a 50-year-old superhero suit? It’s almost like a national treasure, right?” Hamilton said. “This is a piece of history that will be going into a museum one day. I don’t wanna clean this thing myself, I don’t wanna be responsible for destroying anything.”

He wound up taking it to two local businesses in Cambridge, to Pinebush Dry Cleaners, where the staff washed it by hand to ensure it was clean and undamaged, and to First Class Alterations to restore any tears in the fabric and touch up the mask.

Once it was in proper shape, the suit was worn at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival where Richard Comely received a lifetime achievement award.

When asked if he would wear the suit again, Hamilton said, “Never say never,” adding that it won’t be making appearances at council, but if it’s for charity, he could step up again.