Trevor Bolin named leader of the B.C. Conservatives

Fort St. John city councillor Trevor Bolin is the new leader of the B.C. Conservative Party.

Bolin was named leader of the party Monday in Vancouver.

"We've been talking to British Columbians all across the province the last few months, we've been building the party and we are truly the grassroots party coming forward in British Columbia," Bolin said in a speech.

"The B.C. Conservatives is the oldest party in the province and literally was the first to form governmetn back in the early 1900s. However, it's time to revive that, it's time to renew that, and it's time to ensure we are the voice of peopel from everywhere in this province."

Red tape is chasing investment away from B.C., while new taxes and tax breaks are raising the cost of living for families without eliminating that red tape, Bolin said.

"There needs to be an even, level playing field in the province of British Columbia, so families can prosper, businesses can prosper, and we know that we've set the province up for our children to prosper," he said.

Bolin also took aim at the increased carbon taxes, government representation and partisan politics in his speech.

Bolin was first elected to city council in Fort St. John in 2008, and was re-elected in 2018. He plans to remain a councillor.

Bolin supported Fort St. John Mayor Lori Ackerman and then councillor Dan Davies, who was eventually nominated to represent Peace River North for the B.C. Liberals, during the 2017 provincial election.

— Alaska Highway News