St. Catharines social justice advocate dies suddenly on Dec. 31

A strong advocate for LGBTQ2+ rights in the Niagara region reportedly died suddenly on New Year’s Eve.

Liam Coward died suddenly on Dec. 31 at the age of 27 years old.

In an Instagram post late Monday night, his partner said Coward suffered a “tragic accident” on Dec. 30. He was then admitted to the intensive care unit and put in a medically induced coma before passing away the following day.

“Liam left us, surrounded by his partner and members of both our families,” Paul said.

“We are more than heartbroken but take solace in the overwhelming outpouring of love and support by so many.”

 

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A post shared by Liam Coward (@liamxcoward)

Further details regarding the cause of his death have yet to be announced.

Coward worked with Positive Living Niagara after graduating from Brock University’s Political Science Department in 2020.

He was also a former member of the St. Catharines LGBTQ2S+ Advisory Committee as he resigned in September 2022.

Pride Niagara said Coward was “an incredible LGBTQ2+ activist and friend,” whose “passion, leadership and devotion to Niagara was formidable and their support unrelenting.”

I was saddened to learn over the weekend of the passing of Liam Coward, a young man active in politics here in St. Catharines and a committed social justice activist. While Liam and I differed in some areas of politics, we found common ground regularly, and his passing is (1/2)

— Mayor Mat Siscoe 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 (@MatSiscoe) January 3, 2023

St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe also took to Twitter to share his condolences.

“My heart goes out to his partner, family and friends for their loss. Liam’s presence and contributions will be missed but his memory will be an inspiration as we move forward in our efforts to build a more just community,” Siscoe said.