Fin Donnelly

Fin Donnelly is a Canadian politician and environmental activist dedicated to raising public awareness of the rivers and watersheds of his home province of British Columbia. Donnelly has made fourteen marathon swims covering 3,200 km of BC’s rivers, lakes and the ocean, including twice swimming the 1,400 km length of the Fraser River. The purpose of these swims has been to draw attention to the environmental impacts on rivers, stimulate critical thought and promote community stewardship. He is a councillor for city of Coquitlam and executive director of the Rivershed Society of British Columbia, a non-profit charity.

Donnelly founded the Rivershed Society of British Columbia in 1996. The society's vision is one of people making sustainable lifestyle choices in the Fraser River Basin. Since founding the Society, he has made over 500 presentations to more than 40,000 people, and has visited 150 schools in 50 BC communities. He was elected to Coquitlam City Council as a councillor in 2002.

A graduate of the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy, Donnelly lives with his wife Lynda in Coquitlam’s Town Centre.

Positions

* Chair of the Coquitlam River Aggregate Committee
* Vice Chair of the Riverview Committee
* Vice Chair of the Recreation and Cultural Services Advisory Committee
* Member of the Evergreen Cultural Centre Board
* Member of the Committee of the Whole

Awards and achievements

* 2002 – Awarded Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal
* 2001 – Inducted into the BC Summer Swimming Pool of Fame
* 1999 – Named ‘Environmental Educator or Year’ by the Environmental Educators’ P.S.A.
* 1998 – Inducted onto Banting School’s “Wall of Fame”
* 1997 – Named Iyim Yewyews by the Squamish Nation
* 1994 – Coquitlam Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Sportsperson of the Year’