Saturday December 7, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The BC NDP’s incoming provincial director Dan Coulter has experienced what government has called a “serious medical emergency”. No details have been released, but family members are travelling from afar to where Coulter is in hospital.
In a statement released yesterday afternoon, NDP provincial director Heather Stoutenburg said Coulter is “currently in hospital” receiving medical care after an unspecified health episode. “We’re asking everyone to keep Dan in their thoughts and send him love and support,” Stoutenburg said.
“Dan’s family is asking for privacy as many are traveling from afar to be with him. We do not have any further information at this time.”
Coulter was the BC NDP government’s previous Minister of State for Infrastructure and Transit (during December 2020 to September 2022) but was not rre-elected in the October 2024 provincial election.
He is a former two-term board chair of the Chilliwack School District SD33 Board of Education (2013-2020), during which time he was acting Chair for three years (2018-2020),
Health setbacks:
Coulter is the second BC NDP politician dealing with a health crisis this week. Newly re-elected MLA Grace Lore (Victoria-Beacon Hill) this week stepped back from being the Minister of Children and Family Development (MCFD) due to a sudden cancer diagnosis.
Former BC NDP Premier John Horgan died last month from cancer.
Fragile BC NDP majority:
While Coulter’s setback does not directly impact the slim 47-seat BC NDP majority in the BC Legislature, it probably serves as another shock to the BC NDP community as the party grapples with the tensions that flowed from the near-loss of holding government after the October 19, 2024 provincial election.
Despite her cancer diagnosis and immediate departure to undertake treatment, Grace Lore’s statement that she will be in the House for important votes also shows how vulnerable the BC NDP caucus feels at this time.
A few weeks ago Island Social Trends learned from one of the re-elected BC NDP MLAs that caucus was warned by Eby to be extra cautious with travel and their health, given how much depends on everyone being present for votes in the House.
There is also a great deal of work going on ahead of the February 2025 recall of the BC Parliament as Eby prepares mandate letters for his cabinet. Mandate letters are usually issued when ministers are sworn in, but this time around (on November 18) Eby only announced appointments. He is taking the time to adapt the mission of his government in response to the election shakeup during which the BC NDP nearly fell as a government.
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