Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a dear friend and long-time community stalwart, Kellard Witt.
Kellard was born on August 26, 1926, on Twin Creek Farm near Pembroke, Ontario. He recently passed away at the age of 89.
Kellard served his community in many ways, including as a municipal politician, and served 28 years on local council. He was forward thinking, serving as the inaugural chair of the Ottawa Valley Waste Recovery Centre and establishing Renfrew County as an environmental leader through practices such as waste diversion and recovery and green bin recycling, which were in place years before they were considered in more urban communities.
In many ways Kellard was my political mentor. He and his wife Shirley were always available to help in any task that he was called upon to do.
I first got to know Kellard as a man of deep and abiding faith. He was a pillar in the pro-life community, someone who was not afraid to walk the walk when it came time to talk the talk. I miss Kellard.
To all in his family, I share their grief. I thank Kellard for making a positive difference in the lives of so many.