​Kincardine councillor and community champion, Doug Kennedy, dies

Kincardine councillor Doug Kennedy (above), long-time resident and community champion, has died, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

First elected as a councillor-at-large in 2018, he was re-elected in 2022 as Ward 1 councillor.

Mayor Kenneth Craig said the Municipality of Kincardine will be paying tribute to Kennedy with a statement, lowering the flag, and at the next council meeting.

Born and raised in St. Marys, Kennedy moved to Kincardine in the 1980s where he owned and operated the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) franchise. He has worked in the restaurant industry most of his life.

He served on many municipal committees over the years, including the recreation board and the tourism committee, and was co-chairman of the Davidson Centre addition committee.

He was the general manager of the Kincardine Bulldogs of the Provincial Junior Hockey League for 25 years, was president of Kincardine Minor Hockey, ran the Bulldogs Beach Volleyball tournament for 20 years, and organized hockey schools and baseball tournaments in Kincardine for more than 20 years. He also coached minor ball and minor hockey.

For his many contributions to the community, Kennedy was named Kincardine's Citizen of the Year in 1996 and again in 2005.

When he was campaigning to become a councillor, he said his priority was the Kincardine Hospital. And to that end, he helped co-ordinate the Rock With Your Docs event, raising money for the redevelopment of the hospital. He was also a strong proponent of physician recruitment and retention.

His other priorities were affordable housing, improvements to recreation, and providing programs for seniors.

Last year, he received the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) Gold Stick Award for 50 years of outstanding service to hockey in Kincardine. He also had the honour of hosting the OHA Annual General Meeting in June.

Kennedy is survived by his wife, Cathy Alcombrack, three sons and three grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements will be announced later.