Photo Credit: Powell River Peak
Harold Long, a Powell River businessman and former MLA, was found dead in his float plane south of Stuart Island in Bute Inlet late Tuesday afternoon, May 21.
Former B.C. MLA Harold Long has died in a plane crash, the B.C. coroner’s office confirmed Wednesday morning.
Mr. Long, 72, first served as an MLA for McKenzie from 1986 to 1991, and then for Powell River-Sunshine Coast from 2001 to 2005.
The coroner’s office said Mr. Long was the sole occupant of a DHC-2 Beaver float plane that was spotted overturned in Bute Inlet on the west side of Stuart Island late Tuesday afternoon.
Search-and-rescue technicians, the Canadian Coast Guard and the RCMP attended the scene and confirmed Mr. Long’s death later in the day. The coroner’s office says authorities are continuing to investigate the incident.
Mr. Long had been known as B.C.’s “only flying MLA,” and commuted from Powell River to Victoria in his private plane.
Premier Christy Clark issued a statement Wednesday saying that Mr. Long “set an example by always working to make his community and province a better place.”
“I served with Harold in the Legislature from 2001 to 2005 and will never forget his wise counsel and belief in giving back to British Columbia in ways big and small,” Ms. Clark said. “He embraced life with a great spirit. There were never any strangers when Harold was around. He treated everyone exactly the same – like a friend.”
Ms. Clark also expressed her condolences to Mr. Long’s family, adding that they should be “immensely proud of all his contributions and his generous nature, both of which touched so many.”
Before entering politics, Mr. Long operated a transportation business which had been in his family for generations.
He lived in the Powell River area his entire life.
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