With sadness we mark the sudden passing of Helen Poon, a former Port Alberni councillor who served on the UBCM Executive as a director at large in 2019-2020. Helen was visiting friends in New Zealand over the holiday when she died from a car crash.
Helen was an energetic participant in local politics where she served on the Port Alberni council from 2018 to 2022.
“As a councillor, she was a steadfast supporter of progress for our community. She was never afraid of who was in the room or if her words would lose her votes. She spoke consistently to what she believed in and though typically brief, her words carried weight and were impactful to her colleagues,” Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions said.
Helen fell in love with Port Alberni when she visited during a car club tour, and decided to buy property and a historic pub which she restored. She was well known in car circles for her eclectic collection of classic cars, and her willingness to drive any of them in any weather. Her friends call her iconic for her cigar-smoking, whisky-loving, fur coat-wearing panache.
Sharie remembers her as “indescribably unique, incredibly authentic, and deeply caring. She was always there for her friends in difficult times, connecting with encouraging words or a funny message out of the blue, when she knew someone needed to be lifted up. Helen was 34 years old.
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