Barry Penner
KC
Attorney General of British Columbia
In office
December 1, 2010 – August 18, 2011
PremierGordon Campbell
Christy Clark
Preceded byMichael de Jong
Succeeded byShirley Bond
Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation of British Columbia
In office
October 25, 2010 – March 14, 2011
PremierGordon Campbell
Preceded byGeorge Abbott
Succeeded byMary Polak
Minister of Environment of British Columbia
In office
June 16, 2005 – October 25, 2010
PremierGordon Campbell
Preceded byBill Barisoff
Succeeded byMurray Coell
Minister responsible for Sustainable Communities & Minister responsible for Water Stewardship of British Columbia
In office
June 16, 2005 – June 23, 2008
PremierGordon Campbell
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly
for Chilliwack-Hope
Chilliwack-Kent (2001-2009)
Chilliwack (1996-2001)
In office
May 28, 1996 – January 9, 2012
Preceded byBob Chisholm
Succeeded byGwen O'Mahony
Personal details
Born (1966-01-06) January 6, 1966
Kitimat, British Columbia[1]
Political partyBC Liberal

Barry Penner, KC is a Canadian licensed lawyer and former politician in the province of British Columbia. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLA) for Chilliwack-Hope for 16 years. He also served as Attorney General of British Columbia, Deputy House Leader (2005–2009), Minister of Environment and Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation. Barry has also served as chair of the board of directors for the government-owned Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.[2]

Early life and career

Born in Kitimat in 1966, Penner has lived most of his life in the eastern Fraser Valley of British Columbia, Canada. He has fought forest fires, spent summers on patrol as a park ranger and worked at a local saw mill.[3]

Penner completed two years at what is now University of the Fraser Valley (formerly Fraser Valley College) and has been named one of their "Top 40" alumni.[4][5] Penner received a number of academic awards while studying at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby before completing a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Economics. He was then selected for the 1989 British Columbia Legislative Internship Program. While completing a law degree at the University of Victoria, Penner was one of the early participants in the UVic Law Co-operative Education program and worked for a law firm in Bangkok, Thailand in 1991.[6]

Politics

Penner was first elected as a MLA in 1996 (representing the riding of Chilliwack) and was re-elected in 2001 and 2005 (the riding of Chilliwack-Kent)[7] with some of the highest margins of victory in the province. He was re-elected in the 2009 British Columbia general election to represent the reconfigured Chilliwack-Hope constituency (which includes Agassiz, Harrison Hot Springs and the Fraser Canyon) with more than 53% of votes cast.[8]

As an elected representative, Penner was an early advocate for expanding the use of Canada's DNA database to help identify, catch and convict violent criminals, and solve cases involving missing persons.[9] He also introduced a motion in the Legislature calling on the BC Government to establish an 'AMBER Alert' system in BC to assist police in safely returning abducted children to their parents. The motion passed in 2003, and the 'AMBER Alert' system became operational in 2004.[10]

Penner became known as an advocate for small-hydro, wind power and other alternative energy sources after helping lead unprecedented community opposition in the Fraser Valley to the proposed Sumas Energy 2 power project.[11]

As an active representative of the community, he also led protests against the NDP Government's decision in 1997 to close the Chilliwack Courthouse.[12] Ultimately, the decision was reversed and a new Courthouse was constructed with the support of the City of Chilliwack.[13] Penner also launched a successful effort to raise awareness of a World War I hero, James Richardson, VC who is the only resident of Chilliwack to have been awarded the Victoria Cross (the highest award for bravery in the face of the enemy in the British Commonwealth). This culminated in a community effort to build a statue of the young piper on the grounds of Chilliwack's former City Hall.[14] Responding to a need for increased road safety, Penner approached the Minister of Transportation to address growing concerns about collisions on Highway 9 near Rosedale. This resulted in the first modern roundabout on a BC highway, reducing accidents and injuries.[15] Penner also worked with the Minister of Transportation to have the first cable barrier on a major highway in British Columbia installed in the constituency he represented.[16] Numerous head-on collisions and possible fatalities have been prevented.[17]

Penner has served as vice-president and President of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) beginning in June 2001, and for five years was British Columbia's lead representative to the organization which consists of three Provinces, five States and two Territories.[18]

In June 2007, Penner announced he would continue working as a Minister while receiving treatment for leiomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer.[19]

During his time in provincial politics, Penner was recognized by Vancouver Magazine as one of the 50 most influential people in British Columbia.[20]

Post politics

On August 18, 2011, Penner stepped down as attorney general after deciding against running for another term as MLA, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. He remained as the MLA for Chilliwack-Hope and said he intended to remain as such until the next election.[21] On November 24, 2011, he announced that he would resign in early 2012 as he had accepted a position with the national law firm of Davis LLP[22] (now DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, where he worked on environmental, energy and First Nations issues. He officially resigned his legislative seat on January 9, 2012.[23]

In 2015, he established a legal and public public affairs practice known as Penner Pacific Advisory Services. In November, 2017 he became the managing director of Vancouver International Arbitration Centre.[24] Penner was appointed by the BC Liberal provincial government as chair of the board of directors of Insurance Corporation of British Columbia as of March 31, 2016.[25] He served in that position until July 19, 2017, when the BC Liberals were replaced by a NDP administration.[26]

Penner is currently chair of an inquiry committee of the College of Physicians & Surgeons of British Columbia [27] and is a past member of their board of directors BC College of Physicians & Surgeons, the oldest self-regulating professional organization in British Columbia (serving from 2015 to 2021). He is past arbiter for the New West Partnership Trade Agreement between British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

In 2015, he was named as one of the 'Top 40' alumni from the University of the Fraser Valley, where he attended before graduating from Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria.[28] In 2021, Penner was recognized as one of the top 500 most influential business leaders[29] in British Columbia by Business in Vancouver magazine.

Personal life

He has two daughters, Fintry, named after a Provincial Park on Okanagan Lake and Atlin, named after Atlin Provincial Park in northern British Columbia and that includes Atlin Lake, the largest natural lake in the province.[30]

In May 2014, Penner moved to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) with his family to work for a law firm assisting with inbound investment, particularly in telecommunications and energy.[31] However, he returned with his family to British Columbia for the birth of his second child.[32]

Election results

2009 British Columbia general election: Chilliwack-Hope
Party Candidate Votes%Expenditures
LiberalBarry Penner8,98553.28$67,073
New DemocraticGwen O'Mahony5,63833.43$18,541
ConservativeHans Mulder1,1987.10$250
GreenGuy Durnin9515.64$350
People's FrontDorothy-Jean O'Donnell930.55$260
Total valid votes 16,865
Total rejected ballots 950.56
Turnout 16,96051.85
"Chilliwack-Hope B.C. Votes". CBC.ca. Retrieved 2009-04-12.
2005 British Columbia general election: Chilliwack-Kent
Party Candidate Votes%Expenditures
LiberalBarry Penner11,36857.14$77,840
New DemocraticMalcolm James6,53432.84$16,280
GreenHans Mulder1,6518.30$1,742
ModeratesDavid Michael Anderson2401.21$120
Youth CoalitionColin Wormworth1030.52$100
Total valid votes 19,896100
Total rejected ballots 1180.59
Turnout 20,01458.71
B.C. General Election 2001: Chilliwack-Kent
Party Candidate Votes  % ± Expenditures
LiberalBarry Penner13,81474.88%$40,938
  NDP Malcolm James 2,155 11.68% $3,979
GreenLarry Commodore1,5118.19%–$890
MarijuanaDavid Ferguson9685.25%$1,496
Total valid votes 18,448 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 94 0.51%
Turnout 18,542 71.63%
36th British Columbia election, 1996 - Chilliwack (electoral district)
Party Candidate Votes  % ± Expenditures
  No Affiliation Bob Chisholm 5,736 23.44% unknown
New DemocraticKeith Rollie5,98924.88%unknown
GreenSteve Kisby2320.95%–unknown
LiberalBarry Penner9,27337.90%unknown
ReformBill Wimpney3,23713.23%unknown
Total valid votes 24,467 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 107
Turnout %

References

  1. ↑ The Canadian Parliamentary Guide. P. G. Normandin. 1999. ISBN 9780787635602.
  2. ↑ "ICBC | About ICBC". Icbc.com.
  3. ↑ "BCLASS-Legacy". Leg.bc.ca.
  4. ↑ "UFV names top 40 alumni - Abbotsford News". Archived from the original on 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
  5. ↑ Russell, Anne (30 July 2015). "UFV Top 40 Alumni: Barry Penner — Youthful politician rose to provincial cabinet posts". Blogs.ufv.ca.
  6. ↑ "Vistas" (PDF). Uvic.ca. 2012. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  7. ↑ "About Your MLA - Barry Penner". barrypenner.com. Archived from the original on 2009-10-17. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  8. ↑ "2009 Final Count Election Night Results for Chilliwack-Hope". Elections BC. Archived from the original on 2009-05-31. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  9. ↑ "Hubert Beyer". beyer.ca.
  10. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2004-11-30. Retrieved 2015-02-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ↑ "SE2 Throws in the Towel ... for now". Archived from the original on 2006-02-07. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  12. ↑ "Barry Penner-Courthouse Protest". 26 March 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-03-26. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  13. ↑ "Barry Penner News -". 9 December 2003. Archived from the original on 2003-12-09. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  14. ↑ "Piper Richardson". 16 January 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-01-16. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  15. ↑ "Safety Improvements Going Ahead on Highway 9". 9 February 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-02-09. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  16. ↑ "CABLE BARRIER IMPROVES HIGHWAY SAFETY". Archive.news.gov.bc.ca. 27 March 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  17. ↑ "Barry Penner: Traffic Safety". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  18. ↑ "Barry Penner, Chilliwack-Hope". Barrypenner.ca. Archived from the original on 2009-05-04. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  19. ↑ Penner Discusses a Personal Health Matter Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine, Personal statement, June 11, 2007
  20. ↑ "The Vancouver Power 50 2010 | Vancouver Magazine". Archived from the original on 2015-02-14. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
  21. ↑ Kines, Lindsay (2011-08-19). "Attorney general cites family reasons, to stay on as MLA until next vote". Times Colonist. pp. A1.
  22. ↑ "UPDATE: Penner resigns to join law firm". Theprogress.com. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  23. ↑ "Penner resignation opens door for new candidates | Vancouver Sun". Archived from the original on 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2012-06-17.
  24. ↑ "For the record, November 21, 2017". Business in Vancouver.
  25. ↑ Fletcher, Tom. "Ex-cabinet minister named ICBC chair". Cowichan Valley Citizen. Black Press. Archived from the original on 2016-04-04.
  26. ↑ "Order-in-Council No. 227-2017". Bclaws.va. July 19, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Committees | College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC". Cpsbc.ca. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  28. ↑ Russell, Anne (30 July 2015). "UFV Top 40 Alumni: Barry Penner — Youthful politician rose to provincial cabinet posts | UFV Today". Blogs.ufv.ca. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  29. ↑ "Non-Profit Foundations and Organizations". Bc500.biv.com. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  30. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2015-02-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  31. ↑ "Former MLA Barry Penner moving to Myanmar". Theprogress.com. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  32. ↑ "Barry Penner". Facebook.com.
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