Former long-time Victoria councillor, Helen Hughes, passed away on Friday at the age of 89.
Alan Lowe, who was a friend of Hughes and who served as councillor then mayor during her time on council, says she had a passion for helping youth and the underprivileged.
“She was very instrumental in various projects that she had,” Lowe said. “She was very much a supporter of youth and the underprivileged, social justice was very important to her and she was an advocate for youth.”
Hughes was elected to Victoria council in 1990, then retired in 2008.
Lowe says he believes others will continue with the work where Hughes laid a foundation.
“It is a great loss for the city, but I am sure that her legacy will continue,” Lowe said. “People will remember her passion for the various issues that she believed in and others will continue to champion what she had championed in the past.”
Hughes was the founder of the Souper Bowls for Hope, where attendees chose a handcrafted bowl and ate soup made by local chefs, which was a fundraiser for the Victoria Youth Empowerment Society.
She received an honourary degree from Royal Roads University in 2012, and a Chancellor’s Community Recognition Award in 2009. She was also recipient of the 2012 Ann MacLean Award for Outstanding Service by a Woman in Municipal Politics, and a 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from Leadership Victoria.
Before her time as a Victoria councillor, she also served as a councillor in Saskatoon for four years.
Hughes is survived by her three sons, and grandchildren, and predeceased by her husband and daughter.
“She always had a good sense of humor, she was perky up to the end,” Lowe said. “And what she would have liked is for people to remember her and raise a glass of red wine for her.”
Laura Brougham
