Fomer B.C. premier John Horgan’s provincial state memorial to be held Sunday

British Columbians are preparing to pay their respects and say a final goodbye to one of the province’s most popular premiers.

The provincial state funeral for former premier John Horgan will be held Sunday, Dec. 15, at the Q Centre in Colwood, next to Horgan’s hometown of Langford.

The ceremony is open to the public, but free tickets must be booked in advance either through the website of his beloved lacrosse team, the Victoria Shamrocks, or by contacting the Office of Protocol at 250 387-1616.

Tickets are limited to two per person and will not be available at the door.

Doors open at 11:45 a.m. with the service beginning at 1 p.m.

For those who cannot attend in person, Global News will broadcast the state memorial on BC1 between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and livestream the event on globalnews.ca and on our YouTube channel.

7:24 ‘Horgan loved people’: friends, colleagues remember former B.C. premier

Horgan died on Nov. 12, following his third bout of cancer. The 65-year-old had been in the hospital for much of the past five months after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in June.

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Before he returned to Canada, Horgan had been serving as Canada’s ambassador to Germany and living in Berlin with his wife Ellie. He died at the BC Cancer Centre in Victoria, B.C. at Royal Jubilee Hospital after returning to the province for end-of-life care.

1:54 Public invited to sign John Horgan condolence book online or in-person

Horgan served as B.C.’s 36th premier from July 2017 to November 2022.

He was one of the most popular premiers in the province’s history, often having popularity ratings well above 60 per cent largely due to his management of the COVID-19 pandemic and his work to deal with affordability issues.

Following his death, he was praised by political colleagues from all sides for his ability to connect with people and his commitment to every role he held in public office.

An online book of condolences is available for signing until Dec. 16.

– With files from Richard Zussman