BC Health Minister Terry Lake His First Major Interview

By Pamela Fayerman

Just over a month into his cabinet post as B.C.’s latest health minister, Terry Lake agreed to sit and chat with me, in his first major media interview. In his Victoria office at the BC Legislature, we covered a lot of ground, from what kind of dog he’d be (if he were one) to the scandal gripping the ministry over employee firings and health research privacy breeches.

During our chat, Lake revealed his lighter, humorous side. And also some deeply felt emotion. Discussing end of life care, he choked up and got teary-eyed as he recalled his mother’s passing, about seven years ago. She was 75, had heart disease, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), all of which Lake attributes to smoking.

A runner and soccer player, he’s conscientious about his own health and has never been seriously ill or hospitalized. A former civic (councillor and Mayor of Kamloops) politician, Lake singled out two of his predecessors — Kevin Falcon and Mike de Jong — for the “excellent” job they each did as health minister.

Dressed in denim for our morning interview, Lake changed into a suit for the legislative session later in the day where he faced a barrage of questions from the NDP opposition. As a still-green minister in a complex $17 billion a year portfolio, he got lots of encouragement from de Jong, the finance minister. You can read the previous Q & A de Jong did with me here. To read my Q & A with Kevin Falcon, click here. To see a list of health ministers going back about 20 years, click here.

bit.ly/2ReBr5g via @VancouverSun

Terry Lake Dad, Animal Lover And Health Minister

If B.C. health minister Terry Lake were a dog, he says he’d be a terrier.

“Terriers are tenacious and tough. They know what they want and how to get it,” he said in his first major interview since being appointed health minister in June.

Lake’s professional background includes working many years as a veterinarian and animal health educator. The married father of three adult daughters started his political career as a city councillor in Kamloops in 2002 and was elected mayor from 2005 to 2008. Most recently, he was the minister of environment (2011-2013).

During an hour-long interview in his office at the B.C. Legislature, Lake teared up while talking about end-of-life care, recalling his own mother’s death seven years ago.

bit.ly/2ValDj2 via @VancouverSun