Blair Lekstrom (born 1961) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

politician. He was formerly a member of the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

, representing the riding of

Peace River South Peace River South is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. It was created under the name South Peace River by the ''Constitution Amendment Act, 1955'', which split the old riding of Peace Ri ...

from 2001 to 2013. A caucus member of the

British Columbia Liberal Party BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

, he served in several cabinet posts under premiers Gordon Campbell and

Christy Clark Christina Joan Clark (born October 29, 1965) is a Canadian politician who served as the 35th premier of British Columbia from 2011 to 2017. Clark was the second woman to be premier of BC, after Rita Johnston in 1991, and the first female premi ...

. He was the mayor of

Dawson Creek Dawson Creek is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The municipality of had a population of 12,978 in 2016. Dawson Creek derives its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the community. The creek was named after ...

from 1996 to 2001, and served as city councillor on two separate occasions.

Biography

Lekstrom was born in 1961 in

North Battleford North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The B ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

and moved to

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

later that year. He graduated from South Peace Secondary School, and worked with

BC Tel British Columbia Telephone Company, later known as BC Tel, was the telephone company operating throughout the province of British Columbia, Canada. For most of its history, BC Tel was one of several regional monopolies in Canada. In 1985, the Ca ...

starting in 1979 as an installer-repairman. He married his wife Vicki in 1982; they have two children together. He was elected to Dawson Creek City Council in 1993, serving one term as councillor. He then won election as the city's mayor in 1996 and served in that role for two terms. During that time, he was the president of the North Central Municipal Association for the 1999–2000 term. He ran as a

BC Liberal BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

candidate in the 2001 provincial election, and was elected

member of the legislative assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several nation ...

(MLA) for the riding of

. He was re-elected in

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, and was appointed to the cabinet by Premier Gordon Campbell in June 2008 to serve as Minister of Community Development, before being re-assigned as Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources in January 2009. He kept that portfolio after securing another term as MLA at the 2009 provincial election. Lekstrom resigned from the BC Liberal caucus on June 11, 2010 over the implementation of the

Harmonized Sales Tax The harmonized sales tax (HST) is a consumption tax in Canada. It is used in provinces where both the federal goods and services tax (GST) and the regional provincial sales tax (PST) have been combined into a single value-added tax. Jurisdict ...

, a policy that he had previously endorsed. Following the election of

as the party's new leader in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, Lekstrom rejoined the Liberals on March 3 that year, and was appointed to Clark's cabinet as Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure on March 14. He announced on September 4, 2012 that he would not run again in the 2013 provincial election, and was dropped from Clark's cabinet the next day. After finishing his term as MLA, he was hired by HD Mining International, Ltd. in September 2013 as an advisor and spokesperson. He then returned to municipal politics by winning election as Dawson Creek city councillor in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, before resigning in February 2020 to become the city's Chief Administrative Officer; he retired from that role in December 2022.

References

External links

*
British Columbia Legislative Assembly biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lekstrom, Blair 1961 births Living people BC United MLAs British Columbia municipal councillors Independent MLAs in British Columbia Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia People from Dawson Creek People from North Battleford 20th-century mayors of places in British Columbia 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia