A longtime Squamish resident whose passion, drive and civic-mindedness helped shape the community, including as the "mastermind" behind the development of the town's industrial park, died last week.
Wilf Dowad, who served on Squamish council from 1983 to '85 and also on numerous boards and committees and was a longtime member of the Rotary Club of Squamish, died last Tuesday (April 26). He was 86.
Born on April 12, 1925 in Winnipeg to Syrian immigrant parents Samuel Dowad and Martha Elias, Dowad served as a gunner on merchant ships as a member of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II. Dowad's family had moved to Burnaby while he was at sea and that's where he landed when the war ended.
Pursuing an interest in building construction and design, he built his first apartment building on Edmonds Avenue in Burnaby at age 24 and continued to build houses, duplexes and apartments around the Lower Mainland.
He moved to Squamish in 1971 and became engaged in business and civic affairs. Among the developments in which he played a significant role in town are those in the Tantalus Road/Garibaldi Springs area and those in the Judd Road/Eagle Run area in Brackendale, according to current Coun. Paul Lalli.
In 1983, Dowad won a seat on council, serving in that role for the next two years. Dowad and Corinne Lonsdale were both "newbies" on that council and Lonsdale said both served on the industrial development committee at a time when the provincial government had made a significant amount of land available for an industrial park south of what's now Industrial Way.
"We received that land from the Province of B.C., who was doing economic development all over the province and giving deals on land at a reduced interest rate," Lonsdale said. "It was a crisis for the community because we were having to pay interest on that huge amount of land everything south of Industrial Way was part of the initial industrial park, but at that time the allowed uses were very, very limited."
Dowad, though, was "keen to make something happen" and came up with a strategy to lift many development restrictions and subdivide a portion of the area into smaller lots, Lonsdale said. Lifting those restrictions helped the district sell many of the lots and get those interest payments off of the district's books, she said.
"That was one of the criteria that we took off because let's face it: We couldn't afford to continue paying all this interest with no development happening," Lonsdale said. "He was the mastermind behind it all."
Lalli said Dowad also helped a lot of young families afford homes in Squamish.
"In the course of his real estate development business, he helped many young people in the community achieve homes by giving them the opportunity to acquire land or a home on favourable terms that was one of the many quiet things he did in the community," Lalli said.
Dowad also served for many years on the community's dyking committee, working to resolve flooding and drainage issues in many parts of town, Lonsdale said. In 2005 he ran for council one last time -finishing ninth in a 15-candidate race but only 73 votes shy of landing a seat.
Lalli, who worked on Dowad's 2005 campaign, said he always considered Dowad a confidant and mentor.
"He wasn't shy about picking up the phone and just phoning me to chat about an issue. And he always had the best intentions for Squamish," he said.
Longtime friend George McKenzie said Dowad was a skilled orator and loved to debate the issues of the day.
"We called him 'The Orator,'" McKenzie said of his fellow Rotarian. "He always had a grin if he was on a topic that he loved and was well known as a gifted speaker and debater here in the corridor and in the Lower Mainland."
Dowad is survived by his wife Grethe, sister Kay, children Norm, Bruce (Jean), Michael, Kathie (Graham), Philip (Judy) and Tom and grandchildren David, Alex, Kevin, Thadeus, Brady, Sibella and Morgan.
A memorial service, which is open to all, is scheduled on Saturday (May 7) at noon at Totem Hall. To sign the book of condolences, please visit www.squamishfuneralchapel.com
