THUNDER BAY -- The mayor of O'Connor Township and past president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association has died.
Ron Nelson died on Saturday afternoon at the age of 61 from an apparent heart attack.
Born in Fort William, Nelson spent his career in forestry, an industry that drove both his professional and political passion. He believed strongly in acting to bridge the communication gap that can exist between Northern and Southern Ontario.
He was elected as township councillor in 1991 before being elected to reeve in 1994. Most recently acclaimed in 2014, Nelson was serving his seventh term at the helm of O'Connor.
As mayor of a township of 685 people, Nelson led NOMA and represented the regional body on the Association of Municipalities of Ontario's board of directors.
He was also a board director through the establishment of the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and is still listed as NOMA's representative on NOSM's nominations and communications subcommittee.
NOMA vice-president Iain Angus said he encouraged Nelson to take on a leadership role with the organization and he became a fierce advocate for the region.
“It’s a loss not only for his community but for the entire Northwest,” Angus said.
“He was a man who, as they say, fought well above his weight taking on Northeastern Ontario in the battle for the medical school, taking on the government of Ontario on a regular basis he made sure the views of the Northwest were known.”
