He is a former member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly, representing the riding of Saanich North and the Islands, a suburb of Victoria, from 1996 through 2012.
[2] Coell was first elected to the British Columbia legislature in 1996 and has been re-elected in 2001, 2005, and 2009.
[3] Prior to being elected to provincial office, Coell was mayor of Saanich, British Columbia for six years.
Before entering politics, Coell was a social worker and a small business owner.
He has a Bachelor of Arts in social welfare from the University of Victoria.