Boundary-Similkameen MLA Linda Larson will not be seeking re-election for a third term in the next provincial election.
“Two terms is enough. Maybe for some people, it’s a career. It was not a career for me — it was a public service. I’m happy to do it and I’ve loved every minute,” she said, adding she will continue to work hard until the term is up in two years. “Everything needs new faces and new ideas — especially in government.”
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The member of the BC Liberal party made the announcement Sunday at the riding association’s annual general meeting.
Larson is known for her private member’s bill calling for daylight saving time to be adopted year-round, which she said will likely be tabled in the near future.
“Right now, we have had California, Oregon and Washington all pass their bills in their legislatures. But it still has to go to Washington D.C. for approval so we are just waiting for Washington D.C. to sign off on it … A few weeks ago, Trump did his usual Tweet that said he supported it.”
Larson said she recently spoke with Premier John Horgan who said he would table the bill as soon as the states south of the border pass the law.
After she finishes her second term, Larson, who sat on the Oliver council and served as the town’s mayor from 1997 to 2005, said she will leave politics permanently. She is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, three daughters and four grandchildren.
“Next year will be 50 years that we’ve been married and you look at it and think, ‘How much time have you got and what do you want to do with that time?’ I’ve got a daughter in Kelowna that I don’t even have a chance to go and see. I’ve got one on the coast. I would like to just walk out my door in the morning and drive to Vancouver if I could and visit family.”
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In the fall, there will be a nomination meeting to start the process of selecting the next Liberal candidate.
“I want that person to have the time to learn the riding because this is a huge piece of the country. It’s very diverse and every community is very different and in fairness, the four-week writ drop time is not enough to get to know an area this size.”