Ian Pinard, a former government minister and long-standing public servant in Dominica with a decades-long career spanning electoral politics, party leadership and senior public administration roles, has passed away at his residence in the early hours of April 17, 2026. He was 54 years old.
Pinard launched his electoral political career in the 2005 Dominican general election, when he won a seat in the national parliament representing the Soufrière constituency as a candidate of the Dominica Labour Party (DLP). He chose not to seek re-election in the 2009 vote, stepping back from frontline parliamentary politics for five years.
In 2014, Pinard made his return to active electoral politics, successfully reclaiming his Soufrière constituency seat. Later that December, he was officially sworn into cabinet as the Minister for Public Works and Ports.
His tenure in the cabinet came to an abrupt end in March 2016, when he resigned from his ministerial post following allegations of inappropriate conduct. A month later, he stepped down completely from his role as a Member of Parliament after he was arrested and subsequently released on bail. A by-election was called to fill the vacant seat, and DLP candidate Denise Charles won the contest with Pinard’s public endorsement and active campaign support.
Even after leaving elected office, Pinard continued to contribute to Dominican public administration, taking on the role of acting general manager at Petro Caribe Dominica. He made a final return to senior political leadership in November 2024, when he was elected vice president of the DLP. Just a short time after that party leadership vote, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Dominica Air and Seaport Authority (DASPA), succeeding Benoit Bardouille in the key infrastructure leadership post.