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Keith willing to pay to keep Bruins in Chilliwack Eric Welsh The Progress
Chuck Strahl on a successful election night, Oct. 14, 2008. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS FILE
Chuck Strahl won’t seek re-election Related story, page 3 Robert Freeman The Progress Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon MP Chuck Strahl brought down the curtain Saturday on a long and remarkable political career. “There’s no particular reason, I’ve just done my time,” Strahl told The Progress Saturday morning, following his decision not to run for re-election. A former logger, Strahl was first elected 17 years ago in 1993 under the Reform Party banner. He quickly earned a reputation as an affable and “decent” politician, but also as an effective and popular one, winning each subsequent re-election in the riding by wide and comfortable margins.
Touted at one point as a rival of Stephen Harper’s for leadership of the new Conservative Party, he eventually stepped aside, yet was still entrusted by the new prime minister with several highprofile cabinet positions, including Indian Affairs. This respect came even after Strahl had earlier led a group of dissident Reform Party MPs who sat as an independent caucus in parliament, talking with former Prime Minister Joe Clark about a conservative alliance. But eventually a transformed Reform Party merged with the former Progressive Conservatives to form the new Conservative Party under Harper. Strahl told The Progress that the lung cancer he was diagnosed with in 2005 had nothing to do
“thank goodness” with his decision to leave politics. In fact, he added, he was encouraged when Prime Minister Harper told him there was no reason, given his past work performance, for him not to remain in the cabinet as the new transportation minister following a recent cabinet shuffle. Strahl is not resigning, so he will continue as MP for the riding and as the transportation minister until the next federal election is called. Strahl said he came into politics “highly-motivated” and still enjoys the job, “but the party’s over.” He said he looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Deb, their four children and ten grandchildren.
“I vowed I would leave politics one day with the one thing that mattered most when I entered into it - the love and respect of those closest to me,” Strahl said in a statement. “Thanks to Deb (mostly) and the rest of the family, that’s going to happen,” he said. “It’s my life’s greatest accomplishment.” Fellow Conservative MPs John Cummins (Delta-Richmond East) and Stockwell Day (OkanaganCoquihalla) also announced Saturday that they will not seek re-election. Political pundits have described the departure of the trio of veteran B.C. politicians as “clearing the deck” for a more Ontario-centric party in anticipation of an election that could come by the end of the month.
Bruins minority owner Moray Keith says he and fellow co-owner Jim Bond are committed to the Western Hockey League in Chilliwack, and they are willing and able to match any offers for the Chilliwack Bruins. Addressing the whirlwind of rumours that have surrounded the Western Hockey League franchise over the past few weeks, Keith said ownership groups are constantly approached by those wanting to invest in, and potentially relocate, major junior franchises. “It’s only proper that our partners would take a look at whatever offers are out there,” Keith explained. “What we’ve simply said is that if there is an offer and the majority want to sell, then Mr. Bond and I are willing buyers and we will certainly compete at whatever price. Currently, we’re willing to pay substantially more than anything else that’s out there, even from a conjectural point of view.” Keith and Bond control 25 per cent of the ownership stake in the Bruins, while also controlling Prospera Centre under the banner of the Chiefs Management Group. Porter, along with Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke and New York Rangers GM Glen Sather, make up the remaining 75 per cent. It doesn’t take too much reading between the lines to sense differing opinions among the Bruins owners. In a pure technical sense, majority would rule if Bond and Keith were turned down by the other three, and there wouldn’t be much they could do. “In the end the decision to sell the team or not sell the team, it’s a situation that rests with the majority, and I would say it would be very difficult,” Keith said when asked if he and Bond had any veto power over an accepted out-of-town offer. “But these gentlemen are my partners and my friends and I would hope that they would work with us. Now if someone comes along with an offer that’s way out-ofwhack, something that we couldn’t match, then we would be understanding. But that’s not the case at this point in time.” Continued: BRUINS/ p4
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