Christy Clark cabinet shuffle puts Peter Fassbender in charge of TransLink
Former education minister will take over department expanded to include TransLink
Premier Christy Clark shuffled her cabinet Thursday morning to move Peter Fassbender from education to be the minister in charge of TransLink.
Responsibility for TransLink has been shifted out of the transportation ministry into the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development — where the minister has direct dealings with mayors across the province.
That removes the oversight of TransLink from the Ministry of Transportation, headed by Todd Stone.
Fassbender, a former mayor of City of Langley, guided the Ministry of Education through a bitter conflict with B.C. teachers, that led to last year's strike.
He will now be pivotal in dealing with the province's mayors as they work on the future of TransLink and its funding model following the No vote in this year's transit plebiscite.
The new education minister is Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier.
Another significant change in the mini-shuffle takes responsibility for the Liquor Distribution Branch out of the solicitor general's purview.
MLA for Cariboo North, Coralee Oakes, takes over responsibility for the BCLDB from Suzanne Anton, as well as becoming the minister of small business, red-tape reduction.
Emergency preparedness is moved into the Ministry of Transportation, with the MLA for North Vancouver Naomi Yamamoto taking responsibility.