West Elgin mourns Duncan McPhail, 'pillar of community, powerful change-agent'

Local Journalism Initiative
·3 min read

Duncan McPhail, who spent decades in municipal politics and was the first mayor of West Elgin, is being mourned by officials and colleagues.

The mayor and deputy warden of Elgin County died Saturday, municipal officials announced in a statement Monday.

McPhail was a man of conviction and a "powerful change-agent" for West Elgin, a rural municipality southwest of London, said Magda Badura, its top administrator.

"He was a man whose work touched the lives of countless individuals, and I am grateful that I was fortunate to learn from his wisdom and guidance, which he selflessly offered until the very end," Badura wrote on social media.

McPhail entered municipal politics in 1988 when elected to Aldborough Township council, where he served as councillor and deputy reeve. Ten years later, he became the first mayor of West Elgin.

McPhail returned to the post in 2018 and was acclaimed mayor in the last election.

A farmer, McPhail was a "pillar of the community" who participated in several committees and events during the years, deputy mayor Richard Leatham said.

He was a member of the West Elgin community centre board of management, the two-time chair of the Tri-County Water board and chair of the Four Counties transportation advisory committee. McPhail also was chair when Elgin County hosted the International Plowing Match in 2010.

McPhail's advocacy and leadership extended beyond West Elgin. He was part of Elgin County council for 17 years, serving as warden in 2000, 2001 and 2019 before being appointed deputy warden in 2021 and again during the last two years.

"We will remember Duncan as a trailblazer whose service to our community will remain an inspiration to all of us for years to come," Ed Ketchabaw, the county's warden, said in a statement.

"He leaves behind an incredible legacy and will be missed by staff, county councillors and the community."

Politicians across the London region paid tribute to the mayor on social media following news of his death.

"A very sad day. Duncan will be so missed," Elgin-Middlesex-London Conservative MP Karen Vecchio wrote on Facebook, where she shared photos of her and McPhail from events during the years.

Kelly Elliott, a rural advocate and former deputy mayor of Thames Centre, wrote on social media that he "had a larger than life laugh" and was a "staunch supporter" of Elgin County.

McPhail was a husband, father and grandfather.

The flags at Elgin County-operated facilities have been lowered to half-mast to honour him. Residents are encouraged to share their sympathies in a book available in the lobby of the county's administration building at 450 Sunset Dr. in St. Thomas.

Details about the funeral and visitation have not yet been released.

West Elgin officials invited residents to place a candle in their window until the funeral to remember McPhail.

"Let's light up West Elgin for our mayor and remember the light he was for our community," they wrote on Facebook.

cleon@postmedia.com

twitter.com/CalviatLFPress

Calvi Leon, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, London Free Press

Latest Stories

  • Teen Scottie Morris found safe after running away from home in ‘punishment T-shirt’

    The child was taken to a local hospital to be evaluated beforing being placed in a ‘safe environment’

  • Florida principal forced to resign after Michelangelo's David statue shown during class

    Florida principal forced to resign after Michelangelo's David statue shown during class

  • City of Mississauga rejects applications for 2 residential towers because proposed buildings are too tall

    The City of Mississauga rejected applications for two residential towers in Port Credit steps from two major transit stations this month, saying the buildings proposed were too tall. But the province of Ontario says the city can no longer make this type of decision due to municipal planning changes the province brought into play in late 2022. In November, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing approved a Peel Region official plan, which a ministry spokesperson told CBC Toronto "removed th

  • Huge, deconsecrated Roman Catholic church in N.S. Acadian community now up for sale

    HALIFAX — A huge, deconsecrated Roman Catholic church that has been a landmark to the Acadian community in southwestern Nova Scotia is up for sale. St. Bernard Church officially closed last summer as the number of people attending mass in the 1,300-square-metre building had fallen to about 30 to 40 people. It was listed on Thursday for private sale with an asking price of $250,000. The listing says during the church's 32-year construction over 8,000 blocks of granite were transported by railroad

  • Florida Lawyer Vanishes on Office Bathroom Break

    FacebookA Florida lawyer has vanished under chilling circumstances: blood reportedly found in the office bathroom where he was last headed.Steve Cozzi seems to have disappeared from his workplace, Blanchard Law in Largo, on March 21, leaving behind his phone, wallet, and keys.“As a family, we are frantic with worry and numb with fear over Steven’s disappearance,” Cozzi’s mother Lois said in statement to WFLA.“The outpouring of love and support from people who know and care for Steven has brought

  • This smiling father-of-six dentist was living a double life – and allegedly plotting his wife’s poisoning murder

    The Colorado dentist and his wife were active church members, dedicated parents of six children, friends with his business partner and his wife, and all-around pillars of the community. He was also ordering poison and slowly killing her as he made future plans with an out-of-state mistress in a nefarious scheme that’s only now unravelling, according to Colorado authorities. Sheila Flynn reports

  • An accused Russian spy boasted that infiltrating the US was easy. He's now in prison after getting caught with files that blew his cover.

    Sergey Cherkasov sent jubilant messages to his handlers, per US court documents, but a few years later his fake identity fell to pieces.

  • GTA police recover 24 stolen vehicles worth $2.1M and destined for Dubai

    Twenty-four stolen vehicles have been returned to Canada after two Greater Toronto Area police forces intercepted a shipment of vehicles on its way to Dubai, police say. In a news release on Friday, Halton Regional Police say they and Peel Regional Police recovered the vehicles while they were in transit in Morocco. Police say the Canada Border Services Agency helped to intercept the vehicles. The investigation began last month, police say. The vehicles are worth an estimated $2.1 million. One o

  • A man detained multiple times said North Korean prisons have improved over the years because the last time he was jailed he no longer had to walk on all fours

    One expert told CNN many North Korean prisoners "just didn't have the concept of torture" and didn't recognize just how dehumanizing their treatment was.

  • Four killers who posed at a party after shooting dead ‘superhero’ dad are jailed

    Anthony Sargeant, 33, was gunned down in a drive-by shooting outside his mum's house in Birmingham.

  • Biden and Trudeau toast to friendship, hope and family at gala dinner

    OTTAWA — U.S. President Joe Biden stayed in Ottawa during his short trip north of the border, but the catering team from the National Arts Centre took him on a cross-Canada culinary tour Friday evening. The president and first lady Jill Biden were the guests of honour at a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. Before dinner, the two leaders toasted the continued friendship and strong ties between the two nat

  • Punishment of First World War soldiers for sexual orientation detailed in new study

    OTTAWA — Frederick Lea Hardy died fighting for Canada at Vimy Ridge in the First World War. Shortly before being killed in action, the teenager spent time in prison doing hard labour as a military punishment for his sexuality. Hardy was one of at least 19 members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force involved in consensual relationships who were arrested and tried for what was then known as gross indecency. The painful, often bleak, stories of these men were uncovered by Sarah Worthman while doing

  • No charges laid against officers who killed 1 man, injured another during Markham home invasion investigation

    Ontario's police watchdog won't lay charges against two York Regional Police officers who shot a pair of 23-year-old men in Markham late last year, killing one and seriously injuring the other. Joseph Martino, director of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), found no reasonable grounds to believe the officers committed a criminal offence on Nov. 25, the SIU said in a press release Saturday. The two undercover officers were inside a pickup truck surveilling an SUV believed to be connected to a

  • Toronto police say a male has died after a stabbing at Keele subway station

    TORONTO — Police say a male is dead after a stabbing at a subway station in Toronto. Toronto police say officers found a male with injuries at Keele subway station on Saturday evening. He was transported to hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Police say the suspect fled the scene and the deceased has not been identified. They say Keele subway station remains closed as they investigate and are advising commuters to expect delays. Toronto police announced in mid-March that they were e

  • Tensions on the rise at revered Kyiv monastery complex

    The courtyards of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra have been busy with more than just the usual worshippers, going to and from its churches in the sprawling monastic complex that is Ukraine’s most revered Orthodox site. Also busy Friday were people in civilian clothes, loading cars with plasma televisions, furniture and other items from the buildings — helping the resident monks remove belongings of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, or UOC, before a threatened government eviction on March 29. There also were police officers checking the cars to make sure no one was removing items that belong to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra preserve, which oversees the complex.

  • Columbia man charged after $500K in stolen goods found in home, sheriff’s department says

    A Midlands man was charged with receiving stolen goods after Richland County Sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant and discovered hundreds of stolen items.

  • Stolen Valor: The U.S. Volunteers in Ukraine Who Lie, Waste and Bicker

    KYIV, Ukraine — They rushed to Ukraine by the thousands, many of them Americans who promised to bring military experience, money or supplies to the battleground of a righteous war. Hometown newspapers hailed their commitment, and donors backed them with millions of dollars. Now, after a year of combat, many of these homespun groups of volunteers are fighting with themselves and undermining the war effort. Some have wasted money or stolen valor. Others have cloaked themselves in charity while als

  • In China, Marriage Rates Are Down and ‘Bride Prices’ Are Up

    The 30 women sat in wooden chairs, facing each other in a rectangular formation. At the front of the room was the ruling Communist Party’s hammer and sickle logo, with a sign declaring the meeting’s purpose: “Symposium of unmarried young women of the right age.” Officials in Daijiapu, a town in southeast China, had gathered the women to sign a public pledge to reject high “bride prices,” referring to a wedding custom in which the man gives money to his future wife’s family as a condition of enga

  • Parents charged in Oxford, Highland Park mass shootings. That's unusual, experts say.

    Parents are charged in the mass shootings at a Michigan high school and Illinois Fourth of July parade, raising questions about accountability.

  • Boy, 7, Missing After Officials Found His Mother Dead in Water and Brother Alone on Calif. Beach

    The 3-year-old boy told the good Samaritan that his mom and brother "went swimming" before they disappeared, according to a GoFundMe for the family