Cape Breton Regional Councillor Charlie Keagan dies

Cape Breton Regional Councillor Charlie Keagan died Tuesday of complications following a heart attack in December.

Mayor Cecil Clarke says the District 2 councillorappeared to have been recovering well and had planned to be back in his seat tonight for the regular monthly council meeting.

Clarke says Keagansuffered a stroke this morning and passed away around 2 p.m.

Before being elected to regional council in2012,Keaganserved for 16 years as acouncillorand as a deputy mayor for the former town of North Sydney. He worked atMarine Atlantic, andalso served on the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional School Board.

"Charlie was just your good, old-fashioned, grassroots, community-based politician," said Clarke. "He said what he meant and hemeant what he said. He was always on top of his game and his community was always his priority."

Tonight's council meeting has been cancelled out of deference to Keagan's passing. Municipal flags will be lowed to half-mast.