March 13, 2023

For Immediate Release

On behalf of the Council and Staff of the Municipality of West Elgin, I want to state what a great loss we have all suffered, with the passing of Mayor Duncan McPhail.  Mayor McPhail was first elected to the Aldborough Township Council in 1988 and he served his community in the positions of Councillor, Deputy Reeve and was the first Mayor of the Municipality of West Elgin in 1998, where he served without interruption until 2002.  The call of his community had him return to local politics in 2018 as Mayor and he was acclaimed as Mayor in the most recent election.   His love of this community is second only to his love of family.

 Mayor McPhail was an active farmer, pillar of the community and still found the time to participate in a number of committees and community events.  He was the two-time chair of the Tri-County Water Board, member of the West Elgin Community Centre Board of Management, Chair of the Four Counties Transportation Advisory Committee and was the Chair of the 2010 International Plowing Match held in Elgin County.

 As, Deputy Mayor, I take my strength in knowing he believed in me and encouraged me to be the best representative of West Elgin that I can be.  Duncan was the ultimate cheerleader and supported his colleagues on Council and encouraged and believed in each and every one of us. We have lost a trusted advisor and the ultimate champion of the Municipality of West Elgin, and in his spirt we endeavor to carry on in Duncan’s memory, with the high standard he set.

Sincerely,

Richard Leatham

Deputy Mayor