Pat Pimm

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = PatPimm.jpg

| name = Pat Pimm

| imagesize =

| caption = Pimm in 2011

| honorific-suffix =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1957|03|31}}

| birth_place = Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada

| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|09|18|1957|03|31}}

| death_place = Prince George, British Columbia, Canada

| residence =

| constituency_AM = Peace River North

| assembly = British Columbia Legislative

| term_start = May 12, 2009

| term_end = May 9, 2017

| predecessor = Richard Neufeld

| successor = Dan Davies

| party = Independent (2016–)
BC Liberal (2009–2016)

| spouse =

| children =

| occupation = Instrumentation (oil and gas)

}}

Patrick Joseph Pimm (March 31, 1957 – September 18, 2024) was a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLA) from 2009 to 2017. A member of the BC Liberal Party, he represented the riding of Peace River North.

Pimm lived in Fort St. John, British Columbia and had a business background working at an instrumentation company that specializes in the oil and gas sector. He spent 12 years on the Fort St. John city council before his election to the Legislative Assembly. In the 39th Parliament of British Columbia, Pimm served on several committees and first became involved with the Executive Council in October 2010 when former B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell appointed Pimm as the Parliamentary Secretary for the Natural Gas Initiative under the Ministry of Energy. When Christy Clark became Premier of British Columbia in March 2011, she retained Pimm at the same position.

Pimm was re-elected to his Peace River North riding in the 2013 provincial election and was appointed Minister of Agriculture on June 10, 2013, by Premier Clark. He previously served as Parliamentary Secretary for the Northeast and served as chair of the Northern Caucus and two Select Standing Committees: Aboriginal Affairs and Finance and Government Services. Pimm also served as a member of Treasury Board. A lifelong resident of the Peace River region, he served 12 years as councillor for the City of Fort St. John from 1993 to 2005. He was co-chair of the BC Oil and Gas Conference in 2002 and 2005, and he also served on a variety of other local community boards and committees.

Background

Pat Pimm was born and raised in Fort St. John. He married at the age of 21 and raised two daughters. In 2005 he remarried to another woman, Jody, who had two grown sons. He established a career at an instrumentation business, Alpha Controls Ltd., specializing in the oil and gas sector. {{cite news |title=Alpha Controls wins Oilmen's first time out |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C. |date=November 20, 2000 |page=7}}{{cite news |title=Bantams make a game of it against Dawson Creek |last= Andrews |first=Graham |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C. |date=May 18, 2000 |page=A6}}{{cite news |title=Golf event a boost for local sport |last= Macedo|first=Richard |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C. |date=May 23, 2003 |page=A6}} He spent 12 years on the Fort St. John city council, from 1993 to 2005. While on the council he advocated for the regionalization of services and the creation of a regional municipality.{{cite news |title=Regional taxation No. 1 |last=Purvis |first=Michael |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C. |date=June 18, 2002 |page=A1}}{{cite news |title=The bottom line is cash |last=Purvis |first=Michael |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C. |date=November 14, 2002 |page=A1}} During a 2001 municipal referendum concerning a Fort St. John boundary expansion around a proposed manufacturing plant (oriented strand board), Pimm threatened to resign his council seat if the referendum failed.{{cite news |title=Vote will decide boundary expansion |last=Sloychuk |first=Jeff |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C. |date=March 16, 2001 |page=A1}}{{cite news |title=Citizens vote 81.6 per cent for expansion |last=Heintzman |first=Michael |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C. |date=April 23, 2001 |page=A1}} While on the council Pimm worked with the province and other municipalities in establishing the Fairshare grant program which redirected some oil and gas revenue to local governments in northeastern BC for use on infrastructure projects.{{cite news |title=Pimm says he won't run in upcoming election |last=Walker |first=Dustin |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C. |date=May 25, 2005 |page=A1}} He also supported the BC Lottery Corporation locating a gaming centre (bingo, off-track betting, slots and other electronic games) in Fort St. John.{{cite news |title=Council OK's gaming proposal: City goes ahead with re-zoning approval despite public opposition |last=Lennard |first=Sonya |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C. |date=February 22, 2005 |page=A1}}

Pimm died in Prince George, British Columbia on September 18, 2024, at the age of 67.{{cite web|title=Patrick Joseph Pimm - Obituary|url=https://hamresfuneral.com/tribute/details/13694/Pat-Pimm/obituary.html|publisher=Hamre's Funeral Chapel & Cremation Center|access-date=September 25, 2024}}{{cite news |title=Former Fort St. John councillor and MLA Pat Pimm passes away at 67 |url=https://energeticcity.ca/2024/09/23/former-fort-st-john-councillor-pat-pimm-passes-away-at-67/ |access-date=September 24, 2024 |publisher=Energetic City |date=September 23, 2024}}

Provincial politics

The appointment of MLA Richard Neufeld to the federal Senate of Canada in December 2008 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper created an opening in the BC provincial Peace River North riding. Such an opening was rare as Neufeld had represented the riding since 1991 and by Tony Brummet for the 12 years prior to Neufeld. There were five candidates in the race for the BC Liberal Party nomination: Chetwynd mayor Evan Saugstad, Fort St. John councillors Lori Ackerman and Dan Davies, School District trustee Linda Sewell, and Pat Pimm.{{cite news |title=May election landscape taking shape |last=Amos |first=Greg |newspaper=Dawson Creek Daily News |date=February 9, 2009 |page=A1}} With 1,200 BC Liberal members eligible to vote, Pimm won in the third round of preferential voting in March.{{cite news |title=Pimm wins MLA nomination |last=Holloway |first=Tessa |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C. |date=March 23, 2009 |page=A1}} He was soon thrust into the provincial election where he faced Fort Nelson town councilor and NDP candidate Jackie Allen, former chief of the Fort Nelson First Nation and Green Party candidate Liz Logan, and others. Pimm oriented his campaign around economic issues.{{cite news |title=Provincial election campaign has officially begun |last=Holloway |first=Tessa |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C. |date=April 15, 2009 |page=A1}} Pimm won the Peace River North riding with 43% of the vote and his party formed a majority government.

As the 39th Parliament of British Columbia began, Pimm was not selected for the Executive Council by Premier Gordon Campbell. In the first two sessions Pimm was assigned to three parliamentary committees, though they rarely met.{{cite news |title=Two sides to the HST coin |last=Irvine |first=Hiedi |newspaper=Dawson Creek Daily News |date=July 29, 2009 |page=A2}} Pimm lobbied on behalf of the Peace River North riding to secure infrastructure grants for road construction and paving, recreation centre upgrades, and Fort St. John sewerage expansion.{{cite news |title=Off to a good start |last=Pimm |first=Pat |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C |date=October 23, 2009 |page=A3}}{{cite news |title=Road construction funding announced for Peace Region |last=Bell |first=David |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C |date=March 23, 2010 |page=A1}}{{cite news |title=Five million received for rural road paving |last=Burnett |first=Stewart |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C |date=August 23, 2010 |page=A1}} Pimm made headlines across the province in November 2009 when he criticized the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms during a speech in the Legislature.{{cite web|title=Pat Pimm says we don't need the Charter|url=http://energeticcity.ca/fortstjohn/news/11/12/09/pat-pimm-says-we-dont-need-charter-video|publisher=energeticcity}}{{cite news |title=Why it's good an MLA bashed the Charter |last=Willcocks |first=Paul |newspaper=Times-Colonist |location= Victoria, B.C. |date=November 12, 2009 |page=A12}}{{cite news |title=Pimm defends Charter comments |last=Pimm |first=Pat |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C |date=November 17, 2009 |page=A7}} He instead called for a "Bill of Responsibilities" to be established.

In 2010, as the petition to repeal the HST was very successful in his riding, Pimm became one of 24 MLAs targeted for recall by Bill Vander Zalm's FightHST group.{{cite news |title=MLA addresses possible recall: Pat Pimm on Anti-HST campaign's recall hit list |last=Bell |first=David |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C |date=June 24, 2010 |page=A1}}{{cite news |title=From anti-HST petition to 'hit list' |last=Smyth |first=Michael |newspaper=The Province |location= Vancouver |date=June 24, 2010 |page=A6}} However, several months later, his name was removed from the list as the group prioritized candidates for recall campaigns.{{cite news |title=Peace River North escapes recall campaign |last=Lux |first=Ryan |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C |date=November 19, 2010 |page=A2}} In October, during Campbell's final cabinet shuffle before resigning, the post of Parliamentary Secretary for the Natural Gas Initiative was created for Pimm under the Ministry of Energy.{{cite news |title=New job title for Pat Pimm |last=Hendry |first=Aleisha |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C |date=October 27, 2010 |page=A5}} In January 2011, with community opposition to a transfer move Oil and Gas Commission engineering jobs, from Fort St. John to Kelowna, Pimm intervened by arranging a public meeting with the Minister of Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson, the CEO of the commission, as well as industry and public representatives, which resulted in several positions staying in Fort St. John. During the BC Liberal Party leadership election to replace Campbell, Pimm endorsed Kevin Falcon in mid-December citing Falcon's performance as Minister of Transportation where he directed significant funding to improving oil and gas resource roads and the Alaska Highway.{{cite news |title=Liberal leadership comes to town |last=Lux |first=Ryan |newspaper=Alaska Highway News |location= Fort St. John, B.C |date=December 15, 2010 |page=A1}} In March 2011, after Christy Clark won the leadership election and was named Premier, she kept Pimm as Parliamentary Secretary for Natural Gas to the Minister of Energy and Mines. On June 27, 2011, he resigned from his Parliamentary Secretary position and from the BC Liberal caucus following a domestic dispute involving his wife which resulted in the RCMP detaining him overnight.{{cite news |title=Pimm resigns from B.C. Liberal caucus after domestic dispute |last=Hunter |first=Justine |newspaper= The Globe and Mail |date=June 28, 2011 |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/pimm-resigns-from-bc-liberal-caucus-after-domestic-dispute/article2078033/}} A special prosecutor was assigned to his case given his status as an elected official.{{cite news|last=Hunter|first=Justine|title=Pimm resigns from B.C. Liberal caucus after domestic dispute|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/pimm-resigns-from-bc-liberal-caucus-after-domestic-dispute/article599155/|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=June 28, 2011}}{{cite news|last=Reid|first=Ian|title=B.C. Liberal MLA Pat Pimm's special prosecutor and B.C.'s broken protections of women|url=http://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/politicaljunkie/2011/07/07/bc-liberal-mla-pat-pimms-special-prosecutor-and-bcs-broken|newspaper=The Vancouver Observer|date=July 7, 2011}}{{cite web|last=Hui|first=Stephen|title=Special prosecutor to review case of Peace River North MLA Pat Pimm|date=July 6, 2011 |url=https://www.straight.com/article-402315/vancouver/special-prosecutor-review-case-involving-peace-river-north-mla-pat-pimm|publisher=Straight.com}} On July 13, the special prosecutor announced they would not be pressing charges and the BC Liberal caucus allowed Pimm to re-join.{{cite news |title=Peace River North MLA Pimm won't face charges, returns to party caucus |last=Fowlie |first=Jonathan |newspaper= Vancouver Sun |date=July 14, 2011 |url= https://vancouversun.com/news/Peace+River+North+Pimm+face+charges+returns+party+caucus/5100413/story.html}} Pimm returned to his role as Parliamentary Secretary for Natural Gas and spent the summer consulting with stakeholders for what would become BC's Natural Gas Strategy and BC's Liquefied Natural Gas Strategy. In September 2012, he was made deputy whip, replacing Eric Foster who became whip.

In April 2013 at an all-candidates forum in Fort Nelson Pimm suggested that "grief" in the classroom caused by special needs children has caused public school enrolment to decline. He was quoted as saying "It's causing the teachers extra time and trouble and it's certainly, I think, is causing some students to move into other areas in the private sector as well".{{cite web|title=Teachers condemn candidate's stance on special needs|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/teachers-condemn-candidate-s-stance-on-special-needs-1.1372838|publisher=CBC|access-date=May 7, 2013}}{{cite web|title=special needs Pat Pimm MLA Peace River North Open Forum Fort Nelson| date=April 30, 2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2chjDu5qIk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/r2chjDu5qIk |archive-date=December 20, 2021 |url-status=live|publisher=youtube|access-date=May 7, 2013}}{{cbignore}}

In November 2015, Pimm stated he would not run for reelection in the coming provincial election in 2017.{{cite web| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/pat-pimm-mla-retire-peace-river-north-1.3338621| title = Pat Pimm to retire as MLA for Peace River North {{!}} CBC News}}

On August 15, 2016, Pimm left his caucus and became an independent following his arrest for a charge of assault. Pimm agreed to be bound by a peace bond for eight months.{{cite web| url = http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/mla-pat-pimm-leaving-liberal-caucus-peace-river-north-1.3725663| title = Special prosecutor appointed following arrest of B.C. MLA Pat Pimm {{!}} CBC News}} The following year, Pimm's assault charge was stayed, and Pimm agreed to stay away from the complainant.{{Cite news |last=Trumpener |first=Betsy |date=27 February 2017 |title=Assault charge against B.C. MLA Pat Pimm stayed |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/mla-assault-charge-stayed-1.4002062 |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2025 |work=CBC.com}}

Electoral history

{{Election FPTP begin | title=B.C. General Election 2009: Peace River North}}

|Independent

|Arthur Hadland

|align="right"|2,899

|align="right"|31.33

|align="right"|n/a

|align="right"|$17,962

|New Democrat

|Jackie Allen

|align="right"|1,293

|align="right"|13.98

|align="right"|n/a

|align="right"|$17,855

|- style="background:white;"

! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Valid Votes

!align="right"|9,252

!align="right"|100.00

|- style="background:white;"

! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Total Rejected Ballots

!align="right"|52

!align="right"|0.6%

|- style="background:white;"

! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3"|Turnout

!align="right"|9,304

!align="right"|40%

References

Sources

{{cite web |url= http://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/ |title = Filed Financial Reports |year = 2009 |work = Financial Reports and Political Contributions System |publisher = Elections BC |format = database |access-date = March 21, 2011}}

External links

[http://www.patpimmmla.bc.ca/ British Columbia Liberal Party] - Pat Pimm (Peace River North)
[http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/39thParl/pimmP.htm Legislative Assembly of British Columbia] - Pat Pimm

Category:1957 births

Category:2024 deaths

Category:BC United MLAs

Category:British Columbia municipal councillors

Category:Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia

Category:People from Fort St. John, British Columbia

Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia