Al Golden, a former member of the Winnipeg city council who was well-known there from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, passed away on Sunday at 76, according to his family. There are no specifics about what caused his death or how it occurred.
Everyone is grieving his passing, expressing their sorrow on social media, paying respect to him, and remembering him in their prayers.
Golden was born in 1946 and raised in Winnipeg’s northwest area of Brooklands. Early in his life, according to Michael Golden, he worked several tasks, including selling insurance, delivering newspapers, flattening nails on building sites, and gathering rags from laneways.
From 1988 until 2000, Golden represented St. Vital on the council. During that time, he also ran for mayor three times, losing to Bill Norrie in 1980, Glen Murray in 2002, and his former ally Sam Katz in 2004.
Through an interview with his son Michael Golden, he also founded or oversaw six businesses in Winnipeg, including the St. Vital Hotel and the Transcona Country Club, operated the Golden Retriever Seniors Transportation Service volunteer bus, and initiated the redevelopment of Old Market Square in 1978.
Golden described his dad as “loving Winnipeg.” “He fought every day to do whatever it took to take the city forward and help it. He sincerely cared about making the city of Winnipeg a better place.”
Golden was initially chosen for the council in a by-election in 1988. He made a name for himself with his rapid responses to voters. Golden lost his position on the municipal council after being found guilty of income tax offences in 2000.
Al Golden was pleased to have contributed to Winnipeg’s development of The Forks, Windsor Community Center, and Shaw Park in time for the 1999 Pan Am Games as a member of the City Council. Current St. Vital City Councilman Brian Mayes also gives Golden credit for avoiding the closure of the city’s outdoor pool.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
