Former Social Credit finance minister and longtime Saanich politician Mel Couvelier has died.

Couvelier, 78, was elected to the legislature in 1986 and immediately appointed finance minister by then premier Bill Vander Zalm, whom Couvelier had challenged for leadership of the party. Couvelier served as an MLA until 1991.

Before that, Couvelier had been a municipal politician. He was elected as an alderman in 1974 and successfully made the leap to mayor in November 1977, a position he kept until his election as MLA in 1986.

Couvelier is remembered as a visionary mayor, but one with a strong practical side.

"He was quite a visionary," said Saanich Mayor Frank Leonard. "He looked for ideas and ways to make good ideas happen. But if something didn't work out, he moved on to the next idea. I learned from him that just because your idea doesn't come to fruition, doesn't mean you don't keep coming up with them."

Couvelier steered Saanich through transition and growth, as it moved from being largely a rural and suburban community to one with more business.

"He moved us along what was quite a progressive agenda for the time," said Leonard, who never sat on council with Couvelier but knew him through community organizations in which the two were involved. Leonard was elected in 1986, as Couvelier moved on to the legislature.

As mayor, Couvelier secured the land for the municipality where the Commonwealth pool is now sited. His plan was for a high-tech park.

"Thirty years ago, that was a pretty radical idea," Leonard said.

Former Saanich mayor and now Liberal MLA Murray Coell said Couvelier was a mentor to him.

"He had a vision of a strong business community delivering taxes for Saanich," Coell said.

Couvelier was key to the development of Saanich's industrial park, as well as its urban containment boundary. That boundary protected much of the farmland that is part of Saanich, and has barely been touched 30 years later, Coell said.

Couvelier's vision wasn't just for Saanich but for Vancouver Island, Coell said.

When Expo 86 was held in Vancouver, Couvelier was key in creating Islands 86, to stimulate activity on Vancouver Island and attract tourists.

Couvelier was a champion of the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific — Glendale Gardens. He remained involved with the public garden and teaching centre long after he retired from politics as a member of its board.

"He named it the Horticulture Centre of the Pacific because he envisioned people from around the world visiting it," Leonard said.

Couvelier was still "helping us fulfil that vision" less than two months before his death, Leonard recalled.

On April 12, Couvelier met Leonard and Coell, advocating for the horticulture centre, which is on provincially-owned land.

"I knew he was ill and was surprised to see him, but he had made a commitment and had a belief in the centre, so he was there," Leonard said.

Couvelier retired from politics but took another stab at it in 2008, unsuccessfully running for mayor of Sidney, where he and his wife, Millie, had retired.

He was active in numerous business and community groups, including the Victoria Airport Authority Board, the Victoria Chamber of Commerce and the Ogden Point master plan stakeholder advisory committee.

Couvelier continued to be outspoken on regional concerns. Recently, he advocated police amalgamation in the region and questioned the need for sewage treatment. He said economic development had to be looked at in a regional context.

Couvelier was born in Vancouver and was 18 when he married Millie, with whom he had three children, Rod, Rick and Melissa.

He graduated from Kitsilano High School and worked as a Crown Zellerbach executive for several years, before going into small businesses of his own, including a general store, then a poultry processing company that he grew from 12 employees to 100 in 12 years, before opening a clothing store in Victoria.

Details of his service have not yet been released.

kwestad@timescolonist.com

A celebration of life for Mel Couvelier is on Friday June 17 at 1 p.m. at Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave., Victoria.