News release

Citizens' Assembly welcomes new member

The Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform welcomes a new member today: Bill Jackson of Dawson Creek.

The 51-year-old prosecutor is married with three children. He holds a law degree and a Master of Arts degree in English history from the University of Saskatchewan and teaches criminology at Northern Lights College.

Jackson replaces Max Malthus of Dawson Creek, who passed away November 6th after a brief illness. Malthus was selected for the Assembly at the first selection meeting, in Fort St. John on October 14th.

"We’re delighted to welcome Bill as one of the two members from Peace River South electoral district," said Jack Blaney, Assembly chair. "However, we are deeply saddened by Max’s passing. Both the community of Dawson Creek and the Citizens’ Assembly have been deprived of Max’s insight and perspective. We honour him for his selfless willingness to serve his fellow British Columbians by volunteering for membership on the Assembly."

Eight more members of the Assembly will be selected tonight at a meeting in Surrey. That will bring the current membership to 130. By Nov. 25, the Assembly will have 158 members from all over B.C. – one man and one woman from each of the 79 provincial electoral districts.

The 158-member Assembly will spend much of 2004 examining electoral systems in use around the world, and will decide if they should propose a change to B.C.’s current system of translating votes into seats in the Legislature.

If the Assembly members recommend a change, it will be the subject of a referendum for all voters in the 2005 provincial election. Any change approved by the voters would take effect with the 2009 B.C. election.