Apr 11, 2019

Statement from the Mayor on the passing of Nils Jensen and Dave Mannix

On Sunday we lost two highly regarded leaders on Vancouver Island, far too soon.

On behalf of the Town and Ladysmith and Council, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of community leaders Nils Jensen and Dave Mannix for their losses.

Nils proudly served District of Oak Bay citizens for 22 years, both as their mayor and as a councillor. 

During my first term as Mayor, Nils showed compassion and friendship as he informed me of key issues facing Vancouver Island communities such as the derelict vessels file. He brought me up to speed and into meetings that I would otherwise not been involved in.

Nils also understood the importance of water conservation and worked hard to ensure Greater Victoria would always have access to safe drinking water.

His leadership and stewardship on this particular file provides guidance to Ladysmith and other municipalities as we strive to preserve this precious resource for future generations. 

In turn, Dave was a strong voice for First Nations and was the Province of BC's appointee to the Island Coastal Economic Trust (ICET) board of directors for over 12 years up until his passing.

I was fortunate to work alongside him as part of the ICET Board as we worked together to build better communities.

Dave’s strong vision and perspective made him a mentor to myself and countless others. His ideas and perspectives around the ICET board table will be greatly missed.