Jun 22, 2020

Remembering former councillor, community volunteer John T. Wilson

The Town of Ladysmith Council and staff wish to extend our deepest condolences to the family of John T. Wilson on his passing. Flags across Town have been lowered for the week to honour his memory.

John proudly served our community as a member of council between 1979-83, 1987-1996 and as a lead volunteer on many of the Town’s committees and commissions up until 2019. He embodied all of what it means to be a community champion.

As a community, we all owe a great deal to John, for his tireless energy, enthusiasm and belief in making our Town a better place. He arrived at each Council meeting well prepared and was articulate, and never shy, when defending his opinions.

At the same time, John could also find humour in his own mistakes and had a beautiful chuckle that was all his own.

John is remembered as a strong advocate for the environment. He believed we could all do our part, big or small, and certainly did his part to walk the walk.

During BC’s drought in 2003, John placed a bucket under his kitchen sink to conserve and collect water for use on his veggie garden.

Even following his retirement from Council, John was never far away from helping to shape important decisions that would have a lasting impact.

He returned to Town volunteer life in 2008, when he joined the Advisory Planning commission, Liquid Waste Management committee, and the newly formed Environment Commission.

He served as Chair of the Environment commission for several years, and became Chair of the Liquid Waste Management Committee in 2011, a position held until he retired in 2016.

His role on the Liquid Waste Management Committee helped lead to the creation of a long-term plan for how Ladysmith safely processes raw sewage. The plan was a necessary part of securing infrastructure funding from senior government to build the award-winning Wastewater Treatment Facility.

You also might not know, but John ran for mayor in the 1980s and narrowly lost by only two votes – later determined to be in fact be three votes following a recount.

When one supporter remarked that the ballots should be counted a third time, John is remembered to have said ‘no thanks - it looks like it’s going in the wrong direction for me….’ Once again a testament to his humour, even in defeat.

Many close friends and colleagues are remembering John and wife Sheila’s marriage as a beautiful love story. We send our sincere regrets to you, Sheila and the entire family.

Thank you John for your service to our community. We will miss you.