Daily News Directory : Canadian politician Manmeet Bhullar dies aged 35 after traffic collision

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Canadian politician Manmeet Bhullar dies aged 35 after traffic collision

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Obituaries

25 November 2015: Canadian politician Manmeet Bhullar dies aged 35 after traffic collision
22 October 2015: Former Miss Austria Ena Kadic dies after mountain fall
16 September 2015: Subway sandwich empire co-founder Fred DeLuca dies
25 August 2015: IndyCar driver Justin Wilson dies aged 37
19 July 2015: Formula One driver Jules Bianchi dies aged 25

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An image of Bhullar from 2011.
Image: Eldonm.

A road accident killed Alberta Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Manmeet Bhullar on Monday. Bhullar pulled over to the median on a snowy stretch of the Queen Elizabeth II highway between Edmonton and Calgary to help a fellow motorist who had gone off the road, before a semi-truck lost control and hit him. Bhullar died at hospital at the age of 35.

Bhullar represented the Calgary-Greenway electoral district, and was a member of the Progressive Conservative party. His family received condolences from his colleagues after his death.

Bhullar became the first turban-wearing Sikh in the Alberta cabinet in 2011, as Minister of Service, and held cabinet positions until earlier this year. According to Calgary mayor Nasheed Nenshi, Bhullar was influenced to enter politics by early experiences of coping with others' discomfort about Sikhs.

Bhullar was "a true warrior for fairness and justice, a big man with a giant heart, a friend", said Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary. In a teleconference with journalists, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley recognised him for his work in making the governmental system more transparent.

Notley said she "quite frankly [expected] to see Manmeet in public life for decades to come. And I believe all Albertans are poorer for the fact we will not."

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