Pat Bell
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Patrick Bell (born March 17, 1957) is a former Canadian politician. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of
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 ...
, representing
Prince George North Prince George North was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 1979 to 2009. Demographics Geography History * John Heinrich, Social Credit (1979–1986) * Lois Boone, NDP (1986–1 ...
from 2001 to 2009, and
Prince George-Mackenzie Prince George-Mackenzie is a provincial electoral district in British Columbia, Canada established by the ''Electoral Districts Act, 2008''. It came into effect upon the dissolution of the BC Legislature in April 2009, and was first contested i ...
from 2009 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 Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
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 ...
.


Biography

Born in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, Bell graduated from
Lord Byng Secondary School Lord Byng Secondary School is a Public education, public secondary school located in the West Point Grey neighbourhood on the west side of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It opened in 1925 and was named in honour of the then Governor Gener ...
in 1975 before attending the
University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...
. He married Brenda Lapp in 1978, with whom he has three children. A resident of Prince George since 1988, he owned two
Wendy's Wendy's International, LLC, is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (businessman), Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of D ...
restaurants in the city and a trucking company, and was the co-owner of a logging company. He ran as a candidate for 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 ...
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 ...
for
Prince George North Prince George North was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 1979 to 2009. Demographics Geography History * John Heinrich, Social Credit (1979–1986) * Lois Boone, NDP (1986–1 ...
. He was appointed to the cabinet by Premier Gordon Campbell in January 2004 to serve as Minister of State for Mining. Following his re-election 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 ...
, he was named Minister of Agriculture and Lands, before being reassigned as Minister of Forests and Range in June 2008. He was re-elected MLA in
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
in the newly established riding of
Prince George-Mackenzie Prince George-Mackenzie is a provincial electoral district in British Columbia, Canada established by the ''Electoral Districts Act, 2008''. It came into effect upon the dissolution of the BC Legislature in April 2009, and was first contested i ...
and retained his cabinet post, which expanded in scope in October 2010 as he became Minister of Forests, Mines and Lands. After
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 ...
took over as premier in March 2011, Bell was named Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation. His post was re-titled Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training in September 2012, and he simultaneously took on the role of Minister Responsible for Labour. On February 17, 2013, Bell announced that due to health problems (an
aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward :wikt:bulge, bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also b ...
), he would not stand for re-election that May. In 2015 he and his son Doug opened a fruit winery called ''Northern Lights Estate Winery'' in Prince George.


References


External links


Pat Bell, MLA
(copy archived July 19, 2011)
Northern Lights Estate Winery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Pat 1957 births Living people BC United MLAs Canadian winemakers People from Prince George, British Columbia Politicians from Vancouver Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia