Longtime Oakville town councillor and federal Liberal candidate Max Khan passed away on Saturday night after checking himself into hospital.

According to fellow Oakville councillor Tom Adams, Khan had been suffering from flu-like symptoms in recent days and went to Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital at some point Saturday evening. Khan then passed away a few hours later with his family at his side.

The cause of death is not known, though Khan was a three-time cancer survivor.

“He was a wonderful man. I have worked with him for going on nine years, I have gone through three municipal elections with him and because we represented the same part of Oakville I perhaps more than others got to work very closely with him on a regular basis,” Adams told CP24 on Sunday morning. “He was a tireless advocate for his constituency, was available all the time for all sorts of things and was just a great person to work with. We were very fortunate to have him on council.”

A trial lawyer with a Bay Street firm, Khan was first elected to represent Ward 6 in 2006 and was re-elected for a third-term in October with 85.5 per cent of the vote.

Khan was the Liberal candidate for the newly-created riding of Oakville-North Burlington for the upcoming federal election as well and in a message posted to Twitter on Sunday Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said he is "shocked and saddened" by Khan's passing.

"My heart is with his loved ones - he will be sorely missed," Trudeau wrote.

'His heart was bigger than his smile'

In addition to his contributions in the political sphere, Khan was active in the community, working as the legal advisor for the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton and serving on the board of directors for the Oakville chapter of the United Way.

Discussing Khan's legacy with CP24 Sunday morning, Ward 1 Regional Councillor Sean O'Meara said it extends beyond his various roles and positions.

“His heart was bigger than his smile and everyone who knows him knows how big that was. He was always able to pull the best out of people and encourage them to aspire to great things,” O'Meara told said. “He led by example and our community won’t be the same without him.”

Fellow councillor Jeff Knoll also told CP24 that Khan was someone that everyone respected, regardless of their political affiliation.

"No matter what side of the issue you were on you always appreciated Max's point of view, his passion and his tenacity," he said.

In a message posted to Twitter Sunday morning, Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said that Khan was a “tireless tiger defending Oakville's residents” and a “people's champion.”

A funeral will be held for Khan Monday at 1:30 p.m. at the Isna Mosque at 2200 South Sheridan Way.

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