Lake announces he won’t run for a third term

Sep 1, 2016 | 9:12 AM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops-North Thompson will have a new MLA after next spring’s election.

Terry Lake has announced he will not run for a third term for the BC Liberals.

Lake made the announcement this morning, after spending the summer contemplating the decision with his family.

“For me and for my family at this particular time, it was just the right time for a new challenge. I’m 59 years old and I still have a lot of gas in the tank and so if you’re going to make a change and take on something new, it’s the time.”

The former Kamloops mayor has held several high profile positions since he was first elected in 2009, including plum cabinet posts in Environment and Health.

Lake led the government’s Ranching Task Force in 2009 and Sled Dog Task Force in 2010.

A recall campaign rose up against Lake in 2011 in relation to the doomed Harmonized Sales Tax, but the campaign failed.

Lake says he will take his time deciding on his next move.

“I’ve got passions around the environment, I’ve got passions around health care, and politics, of course. But we’ll see what the future brings. I’m not going to jump into anything at this point. I have a lot of work ahead of me serving as the health minister and MLA.”

“In terms of staying in Kamloops, we don’t have any intention of going anywhere. This is our home and we love it here. But there are other opportunities out there. I’m going to wait and take my time and think about what the next part of my life is like.”

Kamloops Mayor Peter Milobar paid tribute to Lake upon hearing the news.

“I am hard pressed to think of any type of positive or progressive project he wasn’t a part of, and if he wasn’t supportive of a project there was usually a very good reason for it. When you look at all the hard work he has done to move the hospital project along, it’s no small feat when you consider where we were post cancer clinic decision days until now,” said Lake.

Milobar added the announcment came as a surprise, and he is now considering his own political future.

“There really wasn’t much to consider in the past, given both the age of my kids and previous elections, or the fact that everyone was already running. Now that Terry changed that decision that certainly gives me cause to contemplate. It is something I will have to talk with my family about.”

Lake’s colleague in Kamloops-South Thompson, Todd Stone, says he has mixed feelings.

“I’m very, very happy for Terry and his family. Obviously, this is the right decision for them and that’s the most important thing. I’m disappointed for the community at large, and personally, I would have preferred to serve with Terry for another term.”

Stone says Lake is well-regarded within his own party and in cabinet.

“He was always in the middle of every single one of the major policy debates, sometimes agreeing with the other folks around the table, and often not. And in fact, often Terry’s view of a particular issue, while it might begin as a minority view around the cabinet table, often cabinet would land where Terry had started.”