News release

Citizens' Assembly reaches 151 mark

 

The Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform reached 151 members Monday night with the selection of six in Vancouver.

Selected by random draw at a public meeting were:

Fong, 45, is a chiropractor (the Assembly’s third). He’s married with one daughter and one son, and enjoys gardening, cooking and DIY projects. Bednard is 77, and a retired medical lab technologist (bacteriologist). She’s married, with six grandchildren.

Reilly is a 37-year-old residuals administrator with the Union of B.C. Performers. She’s married, with two boys, and is taking urban studies part-time at SFU. Wills is 57, and a computer systems consultant with a doctorate from Oxford. Married, with one son, he’s a volunteer ski race official.

Rushlow is an ESL teacher. That’s a new career for the 45-year-old after a background in business and computers. She’s an avid skier and outdoors person. Paetkau is 33, a professional diver, labourer and student. He and his high-school sweetheart have a son, who had his second birthday Monday.

Six more members will be chosen at a meeting in Vancouver Tuesday night. The 158th and last member, who will be a man from the electoral district of Vancouver – Kingsway, will be selected Dec. 8.

The 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.