Featured Author: John D'Eathe

jill2607
5 days ago
3 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

A Life of Service, City-Building and Storytelling

Culture is often driven by quick fixes and short-term gains. However, John D’Eathe has dedicated his life to something much more enduring; shaping communities, both through the cities he’s helped build and the stories he’s chosen to tell.

From shaping city policy and championing urban land preservation to chairing citizenship ceremonies and writing novels, D’Eathe’s legacy in British Columbia spans across generations, disciplines, and causes. And now, at a stage of life when most would slow down, he’s releasing his fourth book, Broadway Corridor The Great Social Divide, a dystopian tale set in a futuristic Vancouver grappling with AI surveillance, illegal private healthcare systems, and unchecked development. For those who know his story, it’s a natural evolution of a lifelong concern with the public good.

From Refugee Hillsides to Luxury Towers

John’s public service journey began far from BC, in the refugee-overwhelmed regions of 1960s Hong Kong, where he offered volunteer support. That experience set the tone for a lifetime of civic engagement.

Arriving in Canada in 1969, John quickly immersed himself in community work. He rose through the ranks of the BC Red Cross Society, sat on the national Central Council, and joined the boards of the United Way and the Downtown Business Association. By the early 1970s, he had already begun shaping Vancouver’s urban future through organizations like the Community Planning Association of Canada, eventually serving as its national president.

A Voice for the Region

In 1972, the Vancouver Real Estate Board appointed D’Eathe to lead the development of GULP (Green Urban Land Policy), a visionary report that laid the foundation for BC’s ARL (Agricultural Land Reserve). His civic voice gained further weight when he helped coordinate public participation for the 1976 UN Habitat Conference in Vancouver.

From there, John’s influence expanded across the landscape; literally and figuratively. His private sector ventures helped develop thousands of homes, offices, and public spaces across Canada and the U.S. Meanwhile, his volunteerism continued: from real estate governance and planning education at UBC to supporting the Justice Institute of BC, Marineview Housing Society, and Vancouver’s legacy projects ahead of Expo 86.

In recognition of these contributions, John received numerous honours, including the BC Community Achievement Award and the Governor General’s Sovereign Medal for Volunteers.

A Literary Legacy

For all his work in land planning and real estate, D’Eathe also found a second calling as a writer. His novels and memoirs explore the themes of identity, corruption, urban life, and the future of society. His latest work, Broadway Corridor: The Great Social Divide, releases in September 2025 and brings together a lifetime of experience observing the growth and growing pains of Vancouver.

Set in a speculative near-future where AI tracks movement and public services are increasingly privatized, the novel is a cautionary tale, informed by decades of on-the-ground knowledge.

Generations Later

Today, John lives in West Vancouver with his wife Lane, herself a dedicated volunteer. Their large extended family includes ten grandchildren and remarkably, three generations of published authors.

John’s son, Bob D’Eith, is a music lawyer, two-time JUNO-nominated musician, and former MLA who has written both a practical guide for artists (A Career in Music: 10 Steps to Success) and a novel (The Displaced).

Continuing the tradition, Bob’s son Sheldon D’Eith is a drummer and educator whose first book, Crash! Boom! Pow!, introduces young readers to the fundamentals of rhythm and drumming.

As John prepares to launch Broadway Corridor: The Great Social Divide, he adds “novelist” once again to a résumé already rich with public service, leadership, and civic imagination.

The D’Eathe family’s literary legacy is a rare and inspiring testament to creativity passed from one generation to the next and John’s story, in particular, is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to share your story.