Rich Coleman
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The Honourable Rich Coleman MLA |
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|---|---|
| Deputy Premier of British Columbia | |
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Assumed office September 5, 2012 |
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| Premier | Christy Clark |
| Preceded by | Kevin Falcon |
| Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General of British Columbia | |
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In office June 5, 2001 – June 16, 2005 |
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| Premier | Gordon Campbell |
| Preceded by | Ivan Messmer |
| Succeeded by | John Les |
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In office April 27, 2009 – June 10, 2009 |
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| Premier | Gordon Campbell |
| Preceded by | John van Dongen |
| Succeeded by | Kash Heed |
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In office October 25, 2010 – March 14, 2011 |
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| Premier | Gordon Campbell |
| Preceded by | Michael de Jong |
| Succeeded by | Shirley Bond |
| Minister of Housing and Social Development of British Columbia | |
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In office June 23, 2008 – October 25, 2010 |
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| Premier | Gordon Campbell |
| Succeeded by | Kevin Krueger |
| Minister of Forests and Range of British Columbia | |
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In office June 16, 2005 – June 23, 2008 |
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| Premier | Gordon Campbell |
| Preceded by | Michael de Jong |
| Succeeded by | Pat Bell |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Fort Langley-Aldergrove |
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Assumed office May 28, 1996 |
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| Preceded by | Gary Farrell-Collins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1956 (age 60–61) |
| Political party | BC Liberal |
Rich Coleman (born c. 1956) is British Columbia's Deputy Premier, Minister of Energy and Mines, minister responsible for Housing and MLA for the riding of Fort Langley-Aldergrove. He was first elected in 1996 and was re-elected in 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2013.
Coleman currently serves as Vice Chair of the Cabinet Priorities and Planning Committee and is a member of the Cabinet Committees on Jobs and Economic Growth and Environment and Land Use. Coleman is also Government House Leader.
He previously served as Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Minister of Forests and Range, Minister Responsible for Housing, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General and Minister of Housing and Social Development.
From 1996 to 2001, Coleman served in a variety of Official Opposition roles, including housing critic, forests deputy critic, and caucus whip. He also sat on the Official Opposition Caucus Committee on Crime.
Coleman has served as governor of the B.C. Kinsmen, president of the Aldergrove Chamber of Commerce, and as a director on several volunteer boards. He was awarded Rotary's highest honour, the Paul Harris Fellowship, and received a Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2003. He has also received the Canada 125 Medal for community service and was chosen Langley's Volunteer of the Year in 1988.
Before his election to the Legislative Assembly, Coleman ran a real estate management and consulting company. He is also a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and a security specialist.
Coleman graduated from Penticton Secondary School in 1971.
On December 1, 2010, Coleman announced to the media he had decided not to enter the provincial Liberal leadership race to replace retiring BC Premier Gordon Campbell. Coleman indicated he had planned to announce his run on Thursday, had MLA support and campaign funds, but decided not to pursue the post due to family reasons.
In January 2007, acting as BC Forests and Range Minister, without consultation with local elected officials, communities or interest groups, Rich Coleman approved the removal of 28,283 hectares (approximately 70,000 acres) of private land from three coastal tree farm licences held by Western Forest Products. This area equates roughly to a line of football fields stretching from Victoria to Nova Scotia. This unprecedented, government-sanctioned land transfer on Vancouver Island (including prime lands on the west coast of Vancouver Island between Sooke and Port Renfrew, and around the West Coast Trail) granted Western Forest Products license to make "a fortune" selling the land to real estate developers to build subdivisions. In so doing, it also ended the longstanding “social contract” that corporate timber interests had with the public, with expectations to maintain their properties as forestlands in exchange for the benefits they derived from public forests.
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