Colin McKerral

McKerral died in Sudbury on Monday 28 September 2026 at the age of 51, following an illness. Claude Charbonneau of the Flour Mill Community Action Network announced the death at an all-candidates event on 1 October 2026, where a moment of silence was observed. Sudbury.com's Tyler Clarke reported the story on 3 October 2026 with details from the family. A more specific medical cause has not been publicly disclosed; the obituary invited donations to the Lung Health Foundation. A celebration of life is set for Sunday 11 October 2026 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Cooperative Funeral Home, 222 Lasalle Boulevard. Because the municipal candidate withdrawal deadline was 21 August 2026, and legislation does not allow ballot changes after a candidate dies, his name remains on the Ward 12 ballot for the 26 October 2026 election.

Public records about Colin McKerral's childhood are limited. Family notices identify him as the son of Peter McKerral and Debbie Duguay (Claude McKerral) and as the great-grandson of Gertrude McKerral. He was about 51 at his death in 2026, placing his birth around 1975; tribute sites disagree on an exact birth date, and no authoritative place of birth has been confirmed in the reporting used here. He later made his home in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, where he became known through neighbourhood life rather than through a published biography.

McKerral lived in the Louis Street townhouses, subsidized housing in Greater Sudbury's Ward 12, and became a long-time outspoken advocate for housing and for vulnerable residents. On 22 September 2022, CBC Sudbury's Casey Stranges profiled him as a community leader who invited mayoral candidates to visit tenants and hear their concerns directly. In that coverage he said politicians' housing talk was often "just talk" without seeing conditions on the ground. Jeff MacIntyre later said he had met McKerral during the previous election cycle while touring Louis Street. On 13 August 2026 McKerral filed to run for Ward 12 council in Greater Sudbury's 26 October 2026 civic election, appearing on the city's candidates list alongside Matteo Raso, Jeff MacIntyre, Ron Goswell, and Linnet Rimmer.

According to the family obituary published with Sudbury.com coverage, McKerral was the father of Skyler Bisson (Hayley) and Erin Brady and the grandfather of Wyatt and Skyla. He is survived by his sister Catrina Chapman (James) and by niece and nephew Payton and Carson. Friends remembered him as an honorary uncle and mentor to youths in the community. He loved fishing and being on his boat. Those personal ties, together with his Louis Street neighbourhood bonds, framed how neighbours and fellow candidates spoke about him after his death.

McKerral is remembered in Greater Sudbury as a tenant advocate who pushed housing issues into local politics from Louis Street outward, and as a 2026 Ward 12 candidate whose name stays on the ballot after his death. Tributes from fellow candidates and neighbours stressed mentorship and everyday leadership more than titles. His story links subsidized-housing advocacy, a CBC-documented invitation for mayoral candidates to meet tenants in 2022, and a final campaign in Ward 12 that ended before election day.