VICTORIA – Michelle Mungall, New Democrat MLA for Nelson-Creston, has issued the following statement regarding B.C.’s next provincial election.
“I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election in B.C.’s next provincial election.
“It has been an honour to serve the wonderful people in Nelson-Creston as their MLA and most recently as a cabinet minister under the leadership of Premier John Horgan.
“As my husband Zak and I have been thinking about our family’s future and where we want it to be, we want it to be in the Kootenays and we want to be together. Our two year-old son Zavier loves his friends, the mountains, days on the beach at Kootenay Lake, playing in the snow in our backyard. We want him to grow up in our wonderful Kootenay community, and neither Zavier nor I want me to miss out on it for a large part of the year.
“The past twelve years have allowed me to get to know the Kootenays more deeply than any other opportunity possibly could, and it has allowed me to work with British Columbians all over the province for positive change. It has been my honour to work with the Ktunaxa Nation in the spirit of reconciliation to preserve Qat’Muk, to keep Jumbo wild, and see it through. We reduced child poverty by fighting policies that clawed back important funds for parents receiving disability and income assistance. We worked to make a world leading climate action plan, Clean BC, and implement it. We saved grizzly bears from being hunted for trophies. And we’ve worked to build an economic stimulus for a recovery in this global pandemic.
“As MLA and cabinet minister, I have been proud to work with Premier Horgan and people in the Kootenays to make our communities stronger. Together we were able to bring home a health campus at Mount St. Francis in Nelson, new ferries and upgraded terminals for Kootenay Lake, over 300 units of affordable social housing throughout the Kootenays, greater highspeed internet access, electric vehicle charging stations, 108 more childcare spaces and reduced the costs for families, protected old growth forests, built supports for the cannabis sector in transition, and the list goes on. By working together, we are building a better BC, and none of this could have been done without the communities I’ve been lucky enough to serve.
“A huge thank you needs to go to my constituency assistants since 2009, my ministry office staff since 2017, and it has been an inspiration to work with the civil servants in both the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and the Ministry for Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness. I have loved working with my colleagues in the New Democrat BC government caucus and cabinet with John Horgan as our Premier. I am going to miss them very much. And most importantly, thank you to my fabulous husband, Zak, family and friends for everything.”