Neville Langrell "Bill" Barlee (October 15, 1932 – June 14, 2012) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician who was first elected to the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...

as a

New Democrat New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as culturall ...

in 1988. He served as

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

, Fisheries and Food from 1991 until 1993 and then as Minister of Small Business, Tourism and Culture from 1993 until 1996. Barlee was also well known for his popular TV show on the history of Canada West which he co-hosted with Mike Roberts. This award-winning television series ''

Gold Trails and Ghost Towns ''Gold Trails and Ghost Towns'' is a Canadian historical documentary show, created and produced by television station CHBC-TV in Kelowna, British Columbia for Canadian syndication and hosted by Mike Roberts with historian/storyteller Bill Barlee. ...

'', ran from 1986 to 1996 on five different networks nationwide. The show is still seen in reruns.

Work

He had a varied career as a high school teacher, writer, publisher, and placer miner. He left teaching to write, publish and become a small businessman. His history magazine "Canada West" had faithful subscribers and his books included two best-sellers: "Gold Creeks and Ghost Towns" and the "Guide to Goldpanning". Over his life, he and his wife carefully amassed an impressive collection of

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

artifacts. Parts of the Barlee collection were placed on display in the

Canadian Museum of Civilization The Canadian Museum of History (french: Musée canadien de l’histoire) is a national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the museum is to promote the heritage of C ...

in Ottawa as well as museums in British Columbia. In 1988 Barlee was elected as an NDP MLA. When the NDP became government, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. During his time as Agriculture Minister, Barlee conceived of, and implemented the successful "Buy BC" program, to support BC farmers. The Buy BC logo can now be found on virtually all food products made or grown in B.C. He also served as Minister of Small Business, Tourism and Culture. ''

Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...

'' columnist Denny Boyd credited Barlee as being one of the best Tourism Ministers B.C. has ever had.

Awards and honours

Barlee received a number of honours during his career including the "Golden Door" award from the BC and Yukon Hotel Association; the "Stellar Award" by the BC Restaurants and Food Services Association; and the "Visionary Award" from the BC Council of Tourism Associations. Barlee was also awarded the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002.

Election results

, - , - , - , - , - style="background:white;" ! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3", Total Valid Votes !align="right", 29,868 !align="right", 100.00 , - style="background:white;" ! style="text-align:right;" colspan="3", Total rejected ballots !align="right", 87 !align="right",

Works

* Barlee N.L. 1976 Historic Treasures and Lost Mines of British Columbia. Canada West Publications. * Barlee, N.L. The Pictograph Country: Similkameen. S.l., 1966. Re-released as Similkameen: The Pictograph Country, self-published chapbook, 1978. Re-released as Similkameen: The Pictograph Country (Surrey: Hancock, 1989). * Barlee, N.L. The Prospectors' and Collectors' Guide: Covering the Okanagan, Shuswap, Similkameen Boundary, South Thompson Areas. (n.d.) * Barlee, N.L. South Okanagan: The Sagebrush Country (Canada West, n.d.). * Barlee, N.L. Gold Creeks and Ghost Towns: East Kootenay, Boundary, West Kootenay, Okanagan and Similkameen (Canada West Magazine, 1970?; Canada West Publications, 1980; Hancock House, 1984). * Barlee, N.L
The Guide to Gold Panning in British Columbia Gold Regions, Methods of Mining, etc
(Summerland: N.L. Barlee, 1972, 1974; Summerland: Canada West, 1977; Victoria: Canada West Publications 1979, 1980; Blaine, WA: Big Country, 1984; Hancock House, 1993). * Barlee, N.L. (editor). The Best of Canada West (Langley: Stagecoach Publishing, 1978). * Barlee, N.L. West Kootenay: Ghost Town Country (Canada West Publications, 1984). * Barlee, N.L.
Gold Creeks and Ghost Towns of Northeastern Washington
(Barlee, 1988; Hancock House, 1999). * Barlee, N.L. Lost Mines and Historic Treasures (Hancock House, 1993).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barlee, Bill 1932 births 2012 deaths British Columbia New Democratic Party MLAs 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian schoolteachers Canadian television personalities Candidates in the 2000 Canadian federal election Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia People from the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary Writers from British Columbia Liberal Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons