Heinz Poenn

Heinz Poenn (September 11, 1934 – October 23, 2016) was a Canadian slalom canoeist who competed in the early 1970s. He finished 35th in the K-1 event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

Poenn was born in Fürth, Germany and emigrated to Canada in 1957. He was a long-time resident of Holland Landing, Ontario and owned a stainless steel manufacturing company in nearby Vaughan.

Poenn was a true pioneer in the sport of canoe slalom in Canada. In 1965, he was a member of the first Canadian team at the World Championships in Spittal, Austria. He competed in the Men’s K-1 at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, when canoe slalom made its debut as an Olympic sport. He was later a National Team Coach and served on the International Canoe Federation Slalom Committee. He was instrumental in bringing the Slalom and Downriver World Championships to Jonquiere, Quebec in 1979.

Poenn helped to establish the Minden White Water Preserve on the Gull River in Ontario. The site hosted canoe slalom events at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, where Poenn was proudly in attendance.

Poenn died on October 23, 2016, in Little Current, Ontario.