Jim Lorimer was Barrett's Municipal Affairs Minister

The Hon. James (Jim) Lorimer, former BC Minister of Municipal Affairs, died October 25, 2012. Lorimer was born in Victoria BC and raised at the family home in North Sooke. He attended Victoria College before enlisting in 1943 in the Canadian Scottish regiment, one of four Lorimer brothers to serve in WW II. Following the war, he returned to his studies and took a law degree at UBC. In 1949 he started a practice in Grand Forks. In that same year he joined the CCF and managed re-election campaigns for LA Jim Haggen. In 1954 Lorimer moved to Burnaby where he practiced law and entered active politics, running unsuccessfully for the federal seat of Burnaby-Quadra. In 1966 he tasted his first victory, serving as Burnaby alderman 1966-1968. Lorimer was first elected to the provincial assembly in a 1969 by-election held following the death of Frederick Vulliamy. He was reelected in 1969 and 1972 but defeated with the fall of the Barrett government in 1975. Lorimer was elected again in 1979 and served as MLA until being defeated in the provincial election of 1983. Lorimer will be remembered as for his role as Minister of Municipal Affairs in the stormy Dave Barrett government (1972-1975) when he transferred the former Oakalla prison farm lands to Burnaby for park use, introduced the fast bus transit system and began the Seabus ferries across Burrard Inlet. He was made a freeman of the cities of Grand Forks and Burnaby, and Burnaby�s Jim Lorimer Park was named in his honour.