William Earl Reid

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William Earl Reid
Member of the
British Columbia Legislative Assembly
for Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale
Surrey (1983-1986)
In office
May 5, 1983 – October 17, 1991
Serving with Rita Johnston (1983-1986)
Preceded byBill Vander Zalm
Succeeded byRiding Abolished
Minister of Tourism
In office
August 14, 1986 – September 22, 1989
PremierBill Vander Zalm
Preceded byClaude Richmond
Succeeded byClaude Richmond
Delta Alderman
In office
1973–1978
Personal details
Born(1934-08-13)August 13, 1934
Nelson, British Columbia
DiedMay 29, 2013(2013-05-29) (aged 78)
Political partySocial Credit
ResidenceSurrey
Occupationmunicipal and provincial politician
Professionpolitician

William Earl "Bill" Reid (August 13, 1934 – May 28, 2013) was a Canadian politician. He was a political figure in British Columbia, Canada known locally as "Mr. Surrey".[1] He represented Surrey from 1983 to 1986 and Surrey-White Rock-Cloverdale from 1986 to 1991 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a Social Credit member. "That was the best job I ever had in my whole life," said Reid. "I was the Minister of Tourism from '86 to '91, when Expo 86 was on and we had the best place in the world to visit."[2]

Early years

Reid was born in

Chilliwack. Prior to politics, he owned and operated a car dealership in Surrey.[1]

Local politics

He served as an alderman for Delta from 1973 to 1978.[1] Reid also was chairman of the board for the Metro Transit Authority.

Provincial politics

Reid ran in the

Progressive Conservative candidate for Surrey, but did not win. He later joined the Social Credit Party and won in the Surrey riding in 1983. With only one riding, Reid was responsible for the entire city of Surrey at that time. Reid served as government whip in the provincial assembly.[3] Reid also served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Tourism,[4] a position that had an especially high-profile during Expo 86. In 1989, Reid was fired from cabinet after it was discovered he had funnelled a $277,000 lottery grant to two friends, and the matter was referred to the Attorney General's office. The ministry declined to lay charges, which erupted into a scandal after allegations were made that Attorney General Bud Smith had improperly intervened in the proceedings.[5]
He also served in 1988 and 1989 as the Provincial Secretary of British Columbia.

Final decades and legacy

Reid retired from provincial politics in 1991 and devoted the remainder of his life to his community.

In 2012, Reid was awarded the Queen's Diamond Jubilee award, which was given to Canadians who have made significant contributions to their communities.

The City of Surrey named him Good Citizen of the Year in 2013 due to 50 years of community service including work with societies such as

Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce, Surrey Spirit of B.C. committee, Surrey Heritage Society and Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association
. Bill Reid Place, a transitional shelter was constructed in Cloverdale.

Reid died at the age of 78 on May 28, 2013, from a rare cancer.[6]

In 2014, the city planned three legacy projects:

  • renaming Cloverdale Millennium Amphitheatre to Bill Reid Millennium Ampitheathre
  • naming a portion 62nd Avenue as Bill Reid Way
  • a public sculpture (estimated cost $70,000) by artist Paul Slipper.[1][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Reid, Amy (17 April 2014). "City plans to honour Bill Reid in a big way". The Now (newspaper). Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  2. The Now
    . Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Normandin, P G (1986). Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1986.
  4. ^ Kant, Tony (February 11, 1987). "Reid predicts tourism boom". Ladysmith-Chemainus Chronicle. p. 18. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  5. ^ Leyne, Les (1990-09-12). "Ombundsman clears ministry in Reid case". Times Colonist. pp. A1–A2.
  6. ^ Former B.C. Social Credit MLA Bill Reid dies
  7. ^ City minutes
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