Running for a cure
                                                              story /3 photo /22
Monday,
October 4, 2010
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 CITIZEN EXCLUSIVE
                                                                      BLAIR LEKSTROM
 Province the focus for MLA
 Former Liberal cabinet minister unveils his plans
 Frank Peebles Citizen staff
   Blair Lekstrom confirmed, in an exclusive interview with The Citizen, he intends to run in the next provincial election.
   The longtime MLA for the Peace River South riding resigned in June from the cabinet of premier Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberal government caucus. He sits now as an independent MLA for Prince George’s neighbouring riding to the north.
   The reason for his departure was his disenchantment with the way the Harmonized Sales Tax was enacted.
   Since then there has been much speculation over whether he would rejoin government upon deeper contemplation, seek reelection as an independent, or throw his hat in the federal ring for the position of Conservative Party of Canada candidate in the riding of Prince George-Peace River to fill the spot being vacated by retiring MP Jay Hill.
   “Yes, definitely I’m running for MLA,” he said. “I’ve never ruled out federal politics but right now I am focused on the province and besides there seems to be lots of interest in Jay’s job.”
   Lekstrom could be accused — or applauded, depending on your tastes — of always being somewhat independent, a maverick in the Campbell government. While most MLAs drive sensible sedans, he tooled around Victoria in a vintage VW beetle or, on sunny days, on his Harley Davidson motorcycle. And while most northern MLAs rent an apartment or buy a condo for their time in the provincial capital, Lekstrom and his wife bought a sailboat moored near the Legislature and lived on that.
   These personal symbols were not eccentricities, however, they were merely practical lifestyle choices, and that extended to his activities in the Legislature where he rose on several occasions to vote against motions and legislation put forward by his own party.
                                                                                                                                                                    — See ‘HST,’ on page 3
p^citizen
george it's what matters to you
 A BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE — Austin Lu,a Grade 11 student from D.PTodd secondary,was the solo pianist Saturday night at Vanier Hall as the Prince George Symphony held its season-opener, Classic Night Out.
 Citizen photo by David Mah
 Funds feedback
 Tuesday is your chance to have input on Victoria’s spending habits
 Frank Peebles Citizen staff
    The group of MLAs that advises the government on what the public thinks they should do with taxpayers’ money is coming to hear from Prince George residents.
    The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services (SSCFGS) tours the province each year and opens the door to hear from individuals and groups about how the provincial purse should be divvied up. It will be in B.C.’s northern capital on Tuesday.
    “I think this is one select standing committee people really look forward to, they know it’s an annual thing and they come out to take part,” said MLA John Les, chair of this year’s all-party committee. “We always get a full schedule of speakers in Prince George, I’m looking forward to hearing the different points of view I expect we’ll get there.”
    Les spoke to The Citizen during the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference in Whistler. He will be joined on the committee by Prince
                                                                             Sjostrom, Krause on UBCM exec
   Citizen staff
    Quesnel mayor Mary Sjostrom was elected Union of British Columbia Municipalities second vice-president during the organization’s annual convention in Whistler on Friday.
    Cariboo Regional District chair Al Richmond was elected electoral area rep and Prince George councillor Murry Krause and Tumbler Ridge councillor Jerri-lyn Schembri were elected directors at large. All were elected for one-year terms.
 George’s John Rustad, the MLA for Nechako Lakes and a veteran of the SSCFGS.
   The committee will hold its hearings between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Summit Room at the Coast Inn of the North before mov-
 ing on for an evening session in Terrace the same day.
   To book a time slot (no powerpoint presentations, please, as time is limited), register by contacting the Office of the Clerk of Committees at 250-356-2933 or toll-free: 1-877-428-8337, or by e-mail: Fi-nanceCommittee@leg.bc.ca.
   If you are granted a speaking slot, please bring 14 copies of any written materials you wish to distribute. The session will be recorded by written and audio transcript, and anyone can watch online via webcast during the sessions.
   If you cannot get a time slot to speak, anyone can make written submissions to the SSCFGS by mail or email. Go to the committee’s website (www.leg.bc.ca/bud-getconsultations/) for details.
   All submissions by the public, in all forms, are reviewed by the SS-CFGS and forms its report to the Ministry of Finance. According to MLAs of all political stripe, it is typically one of that ministry’s most valued forms of input for building future budgets.
 Grant money goes to Vanderhoof, Granisle
  Citizen staff
   Granisle and Vanderhoof will receive $10,000 each from the provincial government to help plan for local infrastructure needs.
   In Vanderhoof, a town of about 4,000 people 98 kilometres west of Prince George, the money will
 be used to develop an integrated capital plan to replace the community’s strategic servicing plan, which is over 10 years old.
   Key undertakings for this project will include inventory of proposed capital investments, analysis and information management and review with council and senior staff.
   In Granisle, a retirement community of about 350 people 326 km west of Prince George, the grant will be used to develop a comprehensive energy plan.
   “We all want our communities to be ... planning for the future,” Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad said in a statement issued Thursday.
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