Terry Hincks, a Regina city councillor who served for four terms, has passed away, Global News has learned.
He died Friday evening surrounded by his family. He was 64 years old.
Hincks was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2013.
Doctors then discovered new cancer in 2015 after a surgery in Calgary. He made the decision to have treatment in Houston and was back in city hall by April 2015.
Hinks became the Ward 9 city councillor in 2003 and was seeking reelection in the upcoming Regina municipal election on Oct. 26.
He was also an active member of the board of police commissioners in Regina.
In 2013, Hincks, who also worked in real estate, shared his story of addiction. He said he started drinking at a young age and made the decision to enter a rehab program in Vancouver in 2012.
“I hid it well for a long time,” Hincks said during a 2013 interview.
READ MORE: Regina city councillor shares his story of addiction
Other boards and committees Hincks has been a member of include the Evraz Place Board, the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee and the Regina Exhibition Association’s board of directors.
Hinks grew up in the North Central neighbourhood of Regina and was an offensive line coach at Notre Dame College. He has also coached minor and high school football for 20 years.
While at the University of Regina, he played junior football for the Regina Rams and also tried out for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
On Saturday, Mayor Michael Fougere and city councillors gathered together at city hall to remember his magnetic smile and larger than life personality.
“He had a passion and commitment to our city that is really second to none. Absolutely unparalleled. His heart was as big as Regina. We will miss him,” Fougere explained.
“Anybody who knows Terry knows he fought with dignity and strength. [He was] an unbelievable person.”
His friend and colleague Wade Murray said it was Hincks’ humble roots that kept him grounded and compassionate.
“He was a giant when it came to looking after the community. Even in my community, in the inner-city in North Central, he would constantly and tirelessly look after the inner-city because that’s where he came from,” Murray said.
Hincks became the Ward 9 city councillor in 2003 and was seeking re-election in the upcoming Regina municipal election on Oct. 26.
According to the city, his name will remain on the ballot come election day.
“His name does stay on the ballot. It’s too late to take it off. That’s why we had the nomination date closing on Sept. 21,” Fougere explained.
Hincks is survived by his wife Darlene, his son Andrew and two grandchildren.
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