Fin Donnelly

Who is Fin Donnelly?

Fin Donnelly is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election on November 9, 2009, representing the electoral district of New Westminster—Coquitlam as a member of the New Democratic Party. Prior to his election as a federal MP, he served two terms on city council in his hometown of Coquitlam.

An environmental activist, Donnelly has been active in raising public awareness of the rivers and watersheds of his home province of British Columbia. He 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, saying Donnelly, after he swam the length of the Fraser River for the second time, to a man who accompanied him in a kayak, “wouldn’t it be amazing to get a program to have an experience that I just had.” The purpose of these swims has been to draw attention to the environmental impacts on rivers, stimulate critical thought and promote community stewardship.

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.