Bill McMurchie, former mayor of Pointe-Claire, Que., dead at 93

Bill McMurchie, former mayor of Pointe-Claire, Que., died on New Year's Day in Toronto, the City of Pointe-Claire, announced on Thursday. He was 93.

McMurchie spent 57 years working in public administration and municipal politics for Pointe-Claire, making him one of the longest serving elected officials on the West Island.

Current Pointe-Claire Mayor Tim Thomas said in an interview with CBC Montreal's Daybreak on Friday that he will remember McMurchie as a "great mayor and a leader."

"He was a true gentleman. A jovial, kind, really wonderful man who was very gracious with me the entire time I knew him," Thomas said, noting that McMurchie taught him a lot about the mayorship.

As someone who moved up the ranks in the city, McMurchie grew familiar with Pointe-Claire's internal operations. By the time he was elected mayor, he was "perfect for the job," Thomas said.

Born in Paynton, Sask., McMurchie relocated to Quebec in 1956 and started working for the City of Pointe-Claire as a student.

He served as a city councillor of Pointe-Claire from 1990 to 1998 before being elected mayor for the first time, serving from 1998 to 2001.

As borough mayor from 2001 to 2005 (during the municipal mergers with the City of Montreal) and as mayor from 2005 to 2013, he oversaw the referendum held in favour of Pointe-Claire separating from Montreal as well as the city regaining its independent status.

In a news statement published on Thursday, the City of Pointe-Claire credits McMurchie with leading initiatives to protect the waterfront, opening the West island's first Ecocentre, reducing speed limits in the city and regulating wood-burning fireplace emissions.

"By investing in the acquisition and protection of these delicate ecosystems, he has ensured that today's citizens and future generations can enjoy public spaces overlooking Lake Saint-Louis," the statement reads.

McMurchie was also known for championing Olive Urquhart, the city's first female mayor, with whom he worked at an early stage of his career in public service.

The City of Pointe-Claire said in the same statement that it intends to commemorate McMurchie this spring.

He is survived by his wife Denise, their children Kathleen, Neil and Lyne; grandchildren Danielle, Colleen, Bennett, Claire, Ruby and Maria-Luiza; and great-grandchildren Caleb, Evelyn and Emerson.

The McMurchie family has requested that he be buried in the St-Joachim Church cemetery, which faces Pointe-Claire City Hall.