News release

Citizens' Assembly hits 66

A school secretary. A courier company driver. A WalMart sales associate. A retired United Church minister.  They are the newest members of the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform, selected Thursday night at a meeting in Campbell River.

They are:

Fantillo, 53, is the school secretary at Timberline Secondary. She has two grown children, and interests in alternative healing and meditation. Jones, 40, is a courier owner/operator for Purolator and looks forward to his first grandchild in December.

Riemann, 59, is a grandmother who once owned a health food store, and works as a sales associate in a WalMart pharmacy. Hall, 75, is a retired United Church minister and former public relations man. He's been married for 53 years.

Their names brought membership list to 66. Next selection meetings are set for Chilliwack Monday night, Port Coquitlam Tuesday night, New Westminster Wednesday and Burnaby Thursday. Each of those meetings will select eight new members.

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.