News release

Citizens' Assembly hits 50 mark

The Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform brought its membership up to 50 with the selection of two new members Tuesday night.

Selected at a meeting in Cranbrook were Allan McKinnon of Cranbrook and Sharon Arola of Sparwood, both from the electoral district of East Kootenay.

McKinnon is 51, and a drug information pharmacist for the B.C. Drug and Poison Information Centre. He's married with three children. Arola is 62, and retired from a post as the provincial Government Agent for Fernie and Sparwood.

Next selection meetings are set for Castlegar (four new members) and Nanaimo (eight), both on Wednesday night.

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 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.