A longtime North Cowichan councillor who spent much of his career working overseas for Canada’s Foreign Service has died.
North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring said George Seymour, who was 91, was a “true community leader and quintessential public servant.”
“I can recall being very impressed and — honestly — somewhat intimidated by him when I was first elected in 2008, but he was a gracious colleague, always willing to mentor the new councillors, and provide both procedural and practical advice,” Siebring said. “His policy positions were both principled and pragmatic, always taking into account both his personal values and the broader good of the community.”
North Cowichan flags flew at half mast Wednesday in honour of Seymour.
Born in Vancouver and raised on Vancouver Island, where his parents, Archie and Nonie Seymour, owned the Maple Bay Inn, Seymour served as a diplomat for 35 years.
After retiring to the Island in 1994, Seymour sat as a North Cowichan councillor for 15 years and was also on the board of the Cowichan Valley Regional District for nine years.
Seymour was honoured with the Freedom of the Municipality in 2015.
Former North Cowichan mayor Jon Lefebure calls Seymour his mentor.
They met regarding a planning issue of Lefebure’s and spent more than two hours talking. By the end of the meeting, Lefebure was interested in getting involved in the municipality and moved on to a planning advisory committee and then ran for council.
Seymour was always on the lookout for people to serve the municipality, Lefebure said. “He inspired quite a few people to run for council.”
Lefebure said Seymour treated others with respect, listened to them and wanted people to have their say, and was very civil. “He was very rational, very caring, very courteous.”
Seymour was greatly interested in community planning and worked hard to avoid sprawl, to look after the environment and to make sure that there was a home for everyone, Lefebure said. “In my opinion, he was a great man.”
After finishing high school in Duncan, Seymour earned a bachelor of commerce degree at the University of B.C. and joined the navy as a pilot in the fleet air arm based in Halifax for three years. He subsequently joined the Foreign Service, serving in Vietnam, the Hague, the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Washington, D.C., and Ottawa. He finished his career as high commissioner in Singapore and then in Malaysia.
“All his postings presented challenges and opportunities as his rank and responsibilities grew,” Allison Seymour, one of his three daughters, said Wednesday in a family statement. “During his career he met many dignitaries and was influential on various foreign policy decisions and international events.”
Her father was very interested in Southeast Asia and the Pan Pacific, where he spent most of his career, she said.
“He was kind and generous with his wisdom and stories. He had a genuine interest in others and was curious to learn about their experiences, ideas and perspectives. He laughed and loved easily.”
While on municipal council, Seymour was a longtime chair of its technical planning committee and participated in the advisory planning committee. He was involved in both the 2002 and 2011 official community plans, the district said.
He was a strong supporter of local agriculture and the Cowichan Theatre.
Seymour convinced the regional district’s board to plan financially for the new Cowichan District Hospital by instituting a reserve fund policy. That policy helped facilitate the purchase of the property for the new hospital, and continues to be used as the hospital capital expenditure plan is developed, the district said.
After leaving local politics, George and wife Marie-Claire Seymour — whom he met on his first post in Saigon — worked with other local residents to save a historic property populated by Garry oak trees. Today it is called the Garry Oak Preserve and managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
