Mr. Speaker, historian David Mitchell describes former B.C. premier Bill Bennett as one of the most important premiers in the province's history. Sadly, Bill passed away on December 3 last year.
Elected to the B.C. legislature in 1973, he served as premier for 10 years. He was a member of Canada's Privy Council and received the Order of British Columbia.
Bill was born and raised in Kelowna, where he was a community builder and entrepreneur. His business interests eventually included real estate, the family hardware store, an appliance store, a ranch, and a sawmill.
Bill brought Expo 86, SkyTrain, the Vancouver Convention Centre, and the Coquihalla Highway through B.C. and set Vancouver on course to be the world-class city it is today.
He was a family man. He was married to Audrey for 60 years. He was the father of Brad, Kevin, Stephen, and Greg, a grandfather of eight, and a proud great-grandfather as well.
Bill will be greatly missed and remembered fondly by many.