Former B.C. cabinet minister and longtime MP Ian Waddell dies at age 78

The first words that came to mind to describe Ian Waddellwere"energizer bunny,"according tolongtime friend Vance Campbell.

"The guy just never stopped, he was energy in a body, he never stopped going," said Campbell. "Wherever he went, a whirlwind followed him and nothing but friends wherever he went."

The two became fast friends whenWaddell, a former NDP MP andMLA,helped Campbellget started with his first business in Vancouver. That was 50 years ago.

"He was very good to his friends. He was a constant part of my life," Campbell said in an interview.

He recalledreceiving a photo from Waddell just two weeks ago. It wasof him on the B.C. slopesand amessage that read: 'I skiedWhistler Peak-to-Peak today!' "And I thought, how amazing for a guy in his late seventies to be doing that."

Waddelldiedat his home Monday night at the age of 78. The cause of death has not been announced.

Waddell was born in Glasgow, Scotland, andimmigrated to Canada at the age of five. He would become a lawyer, then a politicianand eventually an author and commentator.

Waddellhad a front-row seat to decades of political history in Canada. Hebegan his political career in 1979, winning a seat for the federal NDP and becoming a point-person on Indigenous issues.

He spent 14 yearsin Ottawa oftentimes tumultuous fighting the Free Trade Agreement andthe Meech Lake Accord. He eventually lost his seat, pivoting then to provincial politics.

In 1996, Waddellwas elected to the B.C. Legislature as NDP MLA for Vancouver-Fraserview. Heserved as minister of tourism, artsand cultureunder then-premier Glen Clark, andalso had a cabinet post as environment minister in Ujjal Dosanjh's government. He lost his seat in 2001.

"There's not a soul in Victoria who ever met him that's got a dry eye today," said Campbell. "It's a big loss to Canada."

"When I think of Ian, I reallythink of him with asmilehe had an energy for life," saidB.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix, who calledWaddell his boss, colleagueand friend.

"He was a terrific guy and a great mentor to many of us," Dix said, describingthe close relationship Waddell had with many in the current NDP government, including Solicitor General Mike Farnworth and Premier John Horgan, who tweeted condolences.

"Mike Farnworth told me he spoke with [Waddell] last Thursday; he was full of plans and ideas and interests and things he wanted to see us to do and things he wanted to do here in the legislature," said Dix.

Waddell is remembered for hiscommunity involvement in a number ofprojects.One of his most prominent successes was landing Vancouver the Winter Games as B.C.'s tourism minister at the time.

"He led our efforts to win the Canadian bidfor the 2010 Olympics and deserves a lot of credit, as much as any individual person, for the Games coming here," Dix said.

Many will remember him for his legacy asa pioneer in the LGBTQ community, his efforts on Indigenousrightsand expertise on energy issues.

"Ian spoke regularly, and with pride, about his role in the inclusion of the rights of Indigenous peoples in our constitution and its repatriation," said Dix, recalling Waddell'swork on the inquiry into the McKenzie Valley pipeline in the 1970s.

He is also credited with luring Hollywood productions north to B.C. and growing the province'sfilm sector into a billion-dollar industry.

Over the years, Waddell taught at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbiaand published two books. He also produced a documentary calledWhy Young People Don't Voteand was a frequent TV and radio commentator.

Waddellsent out his last tweeton Sunday. He posted a photo of the cherry blossoms off his balcony and called it 'paradise'.