British Columbia’s new agriculture minister hopes to transfer his friendly nature and the skills learned as a small businessperson to his new role.
Pat Pimm was appointed B.C.’s agriculture minister in June and said he is quickly learning about the diverse industry.
“So far it is going very well. I am starting to find out about the industry and the groups involved in the industry,” said Pimm of Fort St. John.
“I have been a small businessman for the past 25 years and certainly very familiar working with folks and managing people. I am going to utilize that in the ministry as well.”
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Pimm said he is familiar with the struggles and concerns of small business owners, including farmers.
“The biggest thing I bring to the portfolio is I’m pretty down to earth and pretty grounded and I hope that messages gets out to folks. I am pretty easy to be around and am looking forward to meeting with all the industry players.”
Pimm had previously served 12 years as councillor for the city of Fort St. John and was chair of the city’s finance committee.
He is president of Alpha Controls, which provides construction, maintenance and electrician services for oil and gas projects. He is also a director of the North Peace Construction Association.
While Pimm has never worked directly in agriculture, he said he has absorbed information by growing up in the Peace and having family in-volved in farming and ranching.
“Being the MLA for the first four years, I had a lot of opportunity to be involved with local ranching and farming issues and got to know the folks and players up in the region. That will be a big plus.”
Pimm was first elected in 2009.
He plans to tour the province in August, meeting with as many of B.C.’s 200 agriculture and fishery groups as possible.
Pimm, B.C.’s ninth agriculture minister in 10 years, wants to push forward the province’s agrifood strategy of boosting agriculture to a $14 billion industry from $10.5 billion.
“We are certainly going to be promoting the buy local program and try and raise the profile of more people to know they are consuming British Columbia products when they are actually eating. I don’t think a lot of people know that,” he said.
“I am just honoured to be the ag minister. I am the first one from the Peace country. That’s an achievement in itself.”
As the MLA from the North Peace, Pimm will become a lightning rod for B.C. Hydro’s Site C dam, a proposed controversial third hydroelectric dam on the Peace River.
Pimm said he would wait for the environmental assessment process to finish and make decisions when that process is complete.
“We will wait to see where that process plays out and where it goes. I am not going to pre-judge what the environmental assessment is going to bring. Whatever happens, we will be waiting for that report and making some decisions then.”
