Former B.C. NDP MLA Dan Coulter dies at 49

Chilliwack North NDP candidate Dan Coulter speaks during a campaign stop with B.C. NDP Leader David Eby, not seen, in Chilliwack, B.C., on Thursday, September 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Former NDP MLA for Chilliwack and incoming provincial director Dan Coulter has died at age 49, the party announced Friday.

Last week, he was hospitalized following a “serious medical emergency,” according to the B.C. NDP. The party has not elaborated on the nature of the medical event or his cause of death.

“It is with heavy hearts that we acknowledge the loss of Dan Coulter, a devoted advocate for the people of British Columbia, a passionate voice for inclusivity and justice, and a cherished member of the BC NDP family,” reads a joint statement from current party director Heather Stoutenburg and president Aaron Sumexheltza.

“To those of us who knew him, Dan was so much more than a colleague — he was a friend and a mentor. He was smart, funny, thoughtful and honest. But above all things, he was kind.”

Coulter was elected in his Chilliwack riding in 2020 and during his tenure served as the parliamentary secretary for accessibility and the minister of state for infrastructure and transit. He ran for re-election in 2024 but lost his seat to Conservative candidate Heather Maahs.

Before his time in the legislature, Coulter sat as trustee on the Chilliwack School Board and was the president of CUPE 3787, which represents some NDP staffers. He also worked as a millwright before suffering a workplace injury.

In another statement, BC Building Trades and the BC Federation of Labour offered condolences for those who knew the man they say was a friend to the labour movement.

“Dan never forgot where he came from. As an MLA, he always put the needs of working people front and centre,” the statement reads. “He was a courageous defender of human rights and justice, and an effective, visionary leader in advancing accessibility and inclusion. Dan believed strongly in the right of every worker to a safe workplace.”

The B.C. NDP says a private service will be held Saturday, the day before former premier John Horgan’s public state memorial.

There will be a public service for Coulter in Chilliwack on Jan. 11. His family has requested donations to the Chilliwack Restorative Justice and Youth Advocacy Association, Chilliwack Bowls of Hope Society or the BC SPCA in lieu of flowers.

“On behalf of the BC NDP, we extend our deepest condolences to Dan’s family, friends, and everyone who had the privilege of knowing and working with him. He was the very best of us,” Stoutenburg and Sumexheltza said.