John Allan

On the morning of February 23rd, 2024, John Allan of Victoria, BC ended his brave battle with progressive supranuclear palsy and passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, and on his own terms, by receiving Medical Assistance in Dying at the age of 78.

John was born in 1945 in Edinburgh, Scotland and raised in Aberdeen prior to immigrating to Canada in 1956. The Allan family settled in Winnipeg, Manitoba where John completed his undergraduate honors degree in Economics at the University of Winnipeg in 1970. John furthered his studies with a Master’s Degree in Economics from Queens University in 1971. He moved to Victoria, BC in 1977 and entered the BC Public Service and worked his way up the corporate ladder until he became a Deputy Minister in 1990. John retired from the Public Service in 1999 and went on to become the President of the BC Lumber Trade Council and CEO of the Council of Forest Industries, positions he held until 2013 in Vancouver, BC. During that time, he assisted in the negotiations for the Softwood Lumber Agreement. In 2013, John semi-retired again but still worked part-time as a consultant until he was asked to return to the BC Public Service to serve once again as the Deputy Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations. After more than 25 years in the public service, John finally retired again in the Spring of 2021. Throughout his life, John was an avid car collector and fitness enthusiast. During his retirement, John learned guitar and became a passionate player and collector.

John was predeceased by his wife Linda Stewart and will sadly be missed by his son Christopher (Regina Ventura), grandchildren Samantha & Jaiden, daughter Kathryn (Andrew Kwasnica) and granddaughter Arya. The family wishes to thank John’s family physician Dr. Tim McKay and MAiD provider Dr. Stefanie Green.