Flowers placed in Khan's seat at Monday council meeting by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff 7 | Thursday, April 2, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Business at Oakville's Town council meeting paused Monday evening as councillors took a moment to remember a colleague whose chair was vacant. The meeting was held just hours after funeral prayers of Ward 6 Councillor Max Khan, who died at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital early Sunday after going to hospital Saturday evening with flu-like symptoms. Khan's chair in the council chamber remained as he had left it not long before, his nameplate still prominent on the council table. Councillors placed bouquets of flowers and a portrait of their friend and colleague there at the start of the meeting. Mayor Rob Burton said he remembers Khan as someone who was always determined to make things better and who treated life as a precious gift that was to be treasured. "Max was truly a champion of the people. He was a tireless tiger defending Oakville's residents. He loved going door-to-door to meet his constituents between elections as much as during," said Burton. "He was a true believer in equality. He loved hearing from residents. If you had a problem, you could turn to Max and he would do everything possible to help." Elected to his third term of council in 2014, Khan worked as a trial lawyer with a Bay Street firm. He was also the federal Liberal candidate in the new Oakville-North Burlington riding and a father to a young son. Born in Toronto in 1969, Khan had called Oakville home for more than 27 years with the Town of Oakville website stating one of his first jobs was on the assembly line at the Ford plant. He received his law degree from Dalhousie University after studying economics at the University of Western Ontario. Khan's council profile said he had dedicated himself to community involvement and volunteer services, such as Legal Aid of Ontario and Flowers and a portrait were placed at the space reserved for Ward 6 Councillor Max Khan at Monday night's Town council meeting. Funeral prayers were held Monday afternoon. | photo by David Lea Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) the Duty Counsel. He had also worked pro bono for several local humanitarian groups; worked closely with at-risk youths; assisted organizations that addressed poverty issues; and participated on diverse cultural boards. Khan had battled leukemia several times in his life and left council for nearly four months as he fought a relapse of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Ward 1 Town and Regional Councillor Sean O'Meara called Khan a friend, responsible for planting the idea in O'Meara to run for council. He said Khan was of great help during tough campaign moments and had an ability to see greatness in people and draw it out of them. Ward 2 Town and Regional Councillor Cathy Duddeck remembered Khan was always willing to share what he had; never let partisan politics get in the way of a friendship; and, wore pink better than she. Khan had donned pink shoes in the Hope in Heels fundraiser for Halton Women's Place. Ward 3 Town Councillor Dave Gittings said Town council was better because of Khan's compassion, skills and tenacity. "Max, Oakville is a better community as a result of your efforts," he said."You will be so incredibly missed." Ward 4 Town and Regional Councillor Allan Elgar recalled Khan's sense of humour. "He had the best sense of humour of anybody I've ever met and the warmest heart," said Elgar. Ward 5 Town and Regional Councillor Jeff Knoll said he first met Khan years ago when Khan "came out of nowhere and offered to help" Knoll set up his election signs. Knoll noted Khan had called him last Thursday to ask about his health. "So my last interaction with Max was just like my first interaction with Max. Max came to help. He wasn't asking me for something or negotiating some political maneuver or anything else. He simply wanted to see how I was doing." Khan's fellow Ward 6 Councillor Tom Adams called his peer a bright light, a man he went through three municipal elections with and noted that his colleague's chair would seem very empty for a long time. Khan's smile and his ability to get a smile out of those around him were other attributes listed by Adams. "There's a whole lot of residents out there who were shocked and surprised and saddened by this. I've been getting a deluge of emails and phone calls from people just sending in their condolences, telling me a story or two about how they met Max and how he had helped them out with something or other. That was the kind of guy he was. He was always out there trying to help someone out," said Adams. "I can't say how shocked I am about the whole thing." A condolence book is available for those who wish to sign it in the front foyer of Oakville Town Hall at 1225 Trafalgar Rd. It will be available from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. weekdays until Tuesday (April 7) with the exception of Good Friday (April 3) and Easter Monday (April 6) when Town Hall is closed. HOME · GIFTS · FASHION Thomas Sabo | Pandora | Fine Diamonds | Kameleon | Brighton Book Your Spring Cleaning Today! 905-469-1927 | 888-399-9555 | actionchemdry.com $ RECEIVE Join Us... 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