About Barry Penner
British Columbia Minister of Environment
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| Barry Penner |
Barry Penner was appointed BC's Minister of Environment in June, 2005 and was re-appointed in June 2009 following the provincial election that spring. He is BC’s longest serving Environment Minister.
Barry was raised in Chilliwack, BC. He received his Bachelor's degree from Simon Fraser University after studying government and economics, and subsequently earned his law degree from the University of Victoria. Barry was employed as a BC park ranger during his summer breaks. In 1991, he worked for an International law firm in Bangkok, Thailand and then practiced law in Chilliwack until his election to the Legislative Assembly in 1996.
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| Barry frequently meets with school groups during their tours of the Legislature. |
Barry was first elected to the BC Legislature in 1996 for the electoral district of Chilliwack. Barry quickly gained recognition and respect for his hard work and strategic representations on behalf of his riding. For example, he helped lead the charge against the Sumas Energy 2, Inc. (SE2) power plant, which would have added 2.5 tonnes of air pollution every day into the Fraser Valley. He also helped rally community support which resulted in the new Chilliwack Courthouse. Barry was re-elected in 2001 to represent the riding of Chilliwack-Kent, and was re-elected again in 2005. In 2009, Barry was re-elected and currently represents the new riding of Chilliwack-Hope.
Barry has promoted the expanded use of Canada's DNA database to help identify and catch convicted criminals, and introduced a motion in the Legislature calling on the BC Government to introduce an 'AMBER Alert' system in BC to assist police in safely returning abducted children to their parents. The motion passed in 2003, and the 'AMBER Alert' system became operational in 2004.
Barry was appointed by Premier Campbell in 2001 to lead BC's delegation to the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER - see www.pnwer.org) He served as PNWER's vice-president before becoming President in June 2002. Barry remained actively involved in PNWER activities as immediate Past-President until June 2005, meeting with legislative leaders in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, as well as Alberta and Yukon.
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| About 300 people attended Barry's 8th annual BBQ and Corn Roast at the Chilliwack-Kent Open House on September 13, 2003. |
In February 2004, Barry was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to then Finance Minister Gary Collins to assist him with his duties as government House Leader. Barry previously served as Chair of the Government Caucus Committee on Natural Resources, and was a member of a number of Legislative Committees, including Crown Corporations and Aboriginal Affairs.
In April 2005, Barry was appointed co-chair of the Alternative Energy and Power Technology Task Force. He has a strong interest in encouraging responsible methods of energy generation, and is a keen advocate for small-hydro, wind power and other new energy sources. Barry chairs the Cabinet Environment and Land Use Committee, is Vice-Chair of the Legislative Review Committee and serves on the Cabinet Committee on Climate Action.
Barry and his wife, Daris, live in the electoral district of Chilliwack-Hope. Email him at localmla@uniserve.com.
Click here to learn about a day in the life of your MLA Barry Penner
