Cape Breton Regional Councillor Charlie Keagan dies

Cape Breton Regional Councillor Charlie Keagan died Tuesday of complications following a heart attack in December.

Mayor Cecil Clarke says the District 2 councillor appeared to have been recovering well and had planned to be back in his seat tonight for the regular monthly council meeting.

Clarke says Keagan suffered a stroke this morning and passed away around 2 p.m.

Before being elected to regional council in 2012,  Keagan served for 16 years as a councillor and as a deputy mayor for the former town of North Sydney. He worked at Marine Atlantic, and also served on the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board.

"Charlie was just your good, old-fashioned, grassroots, community-based politician," said Clarke. "He said what he meant and he meant what he said. He was always on top of his game and his community was always his priority."

Tonight's council meeting has been cancelled out of deference to Keagan's passing. Municipal flags will be lowed to half-mast.