extreme P
15th Dec 2004, 18:09
B.C. finance minister resigns to take up a new position in the private sector as the president and CEO of Harmony Airways in Vancouver."
B.C. finance minister resigns to take private-sector airline job
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at 20:24 on December 14, 2004, EST.
By GREG JOYCE
VANCOUVER (CP) - B.C. Finance Minister Gary Collins left political life Tuesday to run a Vancouver-based airline and spend more time with his family.
"It's with very mixed emotions that after 13 years of public life I'm stepping down as minister of finance and MLA for Vancouver-Fairview," Collins told a news conference.
"I'll be accepting an exciting new position in the private sector as the president and CEO of Harmony Airways in Vancouver."
Collins cited family reasons for his decision.
"The time is right for us to make a change," he said. "For me it's an important time to be close to my family."
He said he has a two-year-old son and a baby due in February.
"Another campaign and another four years in the legislature would have made it 17 years for me in public life," Collins said.
"I'm leaving with no regrets, many friends across the province and many lessons learned."
During his four years as finance minister, Collins took the province from a $4-billion deficit to a $2-billion surplus while cutting taxes and programs.
Business lauded the economic turnaround while critics said the cuts were too deep and hurt the poor and vulnerable.
Collins, 41, has been finance minister since the Liberals were elected in a landslide in May 2001. Under fixed government terms they instituted, the Liberals face the voters again next May.
Harmony Airways began operations in November 2002 as HMY Airways, owned by David Ho, a Hong Kong-born Canadian entrepreneur.
The Vancouver-based airline operates three Boeing 757 aircraft on flights to Toronto, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Honolulu and Maui. It also operates tours through its Companion Holidays subsidiary.
Collins most recently was boasting about the province's improved financial fortunes as the government prepared for the May 17, 2005, election.
Collins, who also was head of the government's communications wing, has been a key member of cabinet since the Liberals took power.
The Liberals won 77 of 79 seats in the last election. The NDP won a byelection in Surrey last October, giving them three seats - still not even enough to technically form an Opposition.
In a recent interview, Collins said the Liberal platform will be all about strong economic times and the promises of a prosperous future under a re-elected Gordon Campbell government.
The province's budget surplus is expected to hit $2 billion, thanks partly to a hefty federal equalization payment. Collins was to table a new budget in February.
Premier Gordon Campbell announced that Colin Hansen, currently the health services minister, will take over the Finance portfolio.
Advanced Education Minister Shirley Bond will take over Health Services and Ida Chong becomes advanced education minister.
Wendy McMahon takes on Chong's job of minister of state for women's and seniors' services.
His departure comes just three months after the resignation of another high-profile member of the Campbell cabinet.
Christy Clark resigned as deputy premier and minister of human resources in September, saying she wanted to focus on her family, including her young son.
Government whip Kevin Krueger said Collins has made a gigantic contribution to British Columbia.
"He's got a very young family and a second baby to be born Feb. 11," Krueger said. "He's made a decision to move back to private life.
"It doesn't really surprise me because of the strains that this back-forth travelling, extremely busy job, puts on a young family."
NDP Leader Carole James said she wanted to thank Collins for his years of service "although I didn't agree with any of his direction.
"I think there's no question that this is a huge blow to the Liberal government. This is the second high-profile minister that we've seen in a number of months resign."
Business leaders said Collins did a great job as finance minister.
"He set some important goals. He achieved them with the balanced budget and now the surplus," said Jerry Lampert, president of the Business Council of B.C.
John Winter, president of B.C. Chamber of Commerce, said Collins imposed strict cost-control discipline on the provincial purse.
"He's turned the corner in the financial sense and maybe the time for a change is probably now," he said.
Collins, although not implicated in any way, was an indirect focus of last year's police raid on the B.C. legislature.
The raids, part of an ongoing drug, corruption and proceeds of crime investigation, occurred Dec. 28, 2003.
David Basi, a former ministerial aide to Collins, was fired the day after police raided his legislature office and seized files.
Basi has since been charged with marijuana production and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
A summary of the information to obtain the search warrant released last fall said the legislature raid involved allegations that Basi and colleague Bob Virk traded government inside information on the privatization of B.C. Rail for job recommendations with the federal Liberal government.
Virk, a former ministerial assistant to former transportation minister Judith Reid, has been suspended without pay since the raid.
Collins, whose busy portfolio also includes the role of government house leader, was elected in 1991, 1996 and 2001.
He introduced the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act and established a fixed date for tabling the provincial budget and various financial reports produced throughout the year.
Before the May 2001 election, Collins was the Opposition house leader and had a variety of critic roles.
Prior to entering politics, Collins taught in the aviation diploma program and was a flight instructor at the University College of the Fraser Valley.
He studied economics and political science at Simon Fraser University.
B.C. finance minister resigns to take private-sector airline job
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
at 20:24 on December 14, 2004, EST.
By GREG JOYCE
VANCOUVER (CP) - B.C. Finance Minister Gary Collins left political life Tuesday to run a Vancouver-based airline and spend more time with his family.
"It's with very mixed emotions that after 13 years of public life I'm stepping down as minister of finance and MLA for Vancouver-Fairview," Collins told a news conference.
"I'll be accepting an exciting new position in the private sector as the president and CEO of Harmony Airways in Vancouver."
Collins cited family reasons for his decision.
"The time is right for us to make a change," he said. "For me it's an important time to be close to my family."
He said he has a two-year-old son and a baby due in February.
"Another campaign and another four years in the legislature would have made it 17 years for me in public life," Collins said.
"I'm leaving with no regrets, many friends across the province and many lessons learned."
During his four years as finance minister, Collins took the province from a $4-billion deficit to a $2-billion surplus while cutting taxes and programs.
Business lauded the economic turnaround while critics said the cuts were too deep and hurt the poor and vulnerable.
Collins, 41, has been finance minister since the Liberals were elected in a landslide in May 2001. Under fixed government terms they instituted, the Liberals face the voters again next May.
Harmony Airways began operations in November 2002 as HMY Airways, owned by David Ho, a Hong Kong-born Canadian entrepreneur.
The Vancouver-based airline operates three Boeing 757 aircraft on flights to Toronto, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Honolulu and Maui. It also operates tours through its Companion Holidays subsidiary.
Collins most recently was boasting about the province's improved financial fortunes as the government prepared for the May 17, 2005, election.
Collins, who also was head of the government's communications wing, has been a key member of cabinet since the Liberals took power.
The Liberals won 77 of 79 seats in the last election. The NDP won a byelection in Surrey last October, giving them three seats - still not even enough to technically form an Opposition.
In a recent interview, Collins said the Liberal platform will be all about strong economic times and the promises of a prosperous future under a re-elected Gordon Campbell government.
The province's budget surplus is expected to hit $2 billion, thanks partly to a hefty federal equalization payment. Collins was to table a new budget in February.
Premier Gordon Campbell announced that Colin Hansen, currently the health services minister, will take over the Finance portfolio.
Advanced Education Minister Shirley Bond will take over Health Services and Ida Chong becomes advanced education minister.
Wendy McMahon takes on Chong's job of minister of state for women's and seniors' services.
His departure comes just three months after the resignation of another high-profile member of the Campbell cabinet.
Christy Clark resigned as deputy premier and minister of human resources in September, saying she wanted to focus on her family, including her young son.
Government whip Kevin Krueger said Collins has made a gigantic contribution to British Columbia.
"He's got a very young family and a second baby to be born Feb. 11," Krueger said. "He's made a decision to move back to private life.
"It doesn't really surprise me because of the strains that this back-forth travelling, extremely busy job, puts on a young family."
NDP Leader Carole James said she wanted to thank Collins for his years of service "although I didn't agree with any of his direction.
"I think there's no question that this is a huge blow to the Liberal government. This is the second high-profile minister that we've seen in a number of months resign."
Business leaders said Collins did a great job as finance minister.
"He set some important goals. He achieved them with the balanced budget and now the surplus," said Jerry Lampert, president of the Business Council of B.C.
John Winter, president of B.C. Chamber of Commerce, said Collins imposed strict cost-control discipline on the provincial purse.
"He's turned the corner in the financial sense and maybe the time for a change is probably now," he said.
Collins, although not implicated in any way, was an indirect focus of last year's police raid on the B.C. legislature.
The raids, part of an ongoing drug, corruption and proceeds of crime investigation, occurred Dec. 28, 2003.
David Basi, a former ministerial aide to Collins, was fired the day after police raided his legislature office and seized files.
Basi has since been charged with marijuana production and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
A summary of the information to obtain the search warrant released last fall said the legislature raid involved allegations that Basi and colleague Bob Virk traded government inside information on the privatization of B.C. Rail for job recommendations with the federal Liberal government.
Virk, a former ministerial assistant to former transportation minister Judith Reid, has been suspended without pay since the raid.
Collins, whose busy portfolio also includes the role of government house leader, was elected in 1991, 1996 and 2001.
He introduced the Budget Transparency and Accountability Act and established a fixed date for tabling the provincial budget and various financial reports produced throughout the year.
Before the May 2001 election, Collins was the Opposition house leader and had a variety of critic roles.
Prior to entering politics, Collins taught in the aviation diploma program and was a flight instructor at the University College of the Fraser Valley.
He studied economics and political science at Simon Fraser University.