George Heyman

The Honourable
George Heyman
MLA
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy of British Columbia
Assumed office
July 18, 2017
Premier John Horgan
David Eby
Preceded by Jordan Sturdy (Minister of Environment)
Minister responsible for TransLink
In office
November 24, 2020 – December 7, 2022
Premier John Horgan
David Eby
Preceded by position established
Succeeded by position abolished
Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly
for Vancouver-Fairview
Assumed office
May 14, 2013
Preceded by Margaret MacDiarmid
Personal details
Born Vancouver
Political party New Democratic Party
Profession union leader
environmentalist

George Heyman is a Canadian politician and former social, environmental and labour activist. He has represented the district of Vancouver-Fairview in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia since 2013 as a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP). He currently serves as Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy of British Columbia.

Background

He was born in Vancouver to Stefan and Marta Heyman, a Polish-Jewish couple who escaped occupied Poland during the Second World War by way of Japan with the help of Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese Empire vice-consul at Kaunas, Lithuania. The Heymans were sponsored by relatives in Canada, settling in Vancouver where Stefan worked as a machinist while getting his engineering credentials recognized.

Heyman briefly worked as a logger before becoming a log scaler with the British Columbia Ministry of Forests in 1978. He became involved in the labour movement, eventually serving as president of the British Columbia Government and Service Employees' Union (BCGEU) from 1999 to 2008. As a representative of BCGEU, he was a federal government appointee as a governor of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety from 1998 to 2000. He also served on the governing panel of administrators of the B.C. Workers’ Compensation Board (now WorkSafeBC) from 1997 to 2001, and chaired the WCB’s audit committee.

From April 2009 to December 2012 Heyman served as executive director of the Sierra Club BC. He oversaw the financial and administrative health of the organization as well as being Sierra Club’s primary public spokesperson on issues regarding energy, mining, conservation of species and habitat, climate change, environmental assessment, forest management and sustainable economic alternatives. Effective January 1, 2013, he took a leave of absence to run in the provincial election.

Politics

Heyman faced high-profile Vancouver city councillor Geoff Meggs in the nomination contest to become the BC NDP candidate for Vancouver-Fairview in the 2013 provincial election. The contest was described by Norman Ruff, professor emeritus at the University of Victoria, as a "clash of titans." While both candidates were considered potential cabinet material, The Globe and Mail reported that Heyman had "the right stuff to be a power player" in an NDP government. On October 21, 2012, Heyman defeated Meggs by winning 58% of the votes, becoming the party's candidate Vancouver-Fairview.

Heyman won the seat on election day, defeating incumbent BC Liberal cabinet minister Margaret MacDiarmid. With the NDP once again forming the official opposition, Heyman at one point considered running in the 2014 leadership election to replace Adrian Dix before deciding against it. In the 40th Parliament of British Columbia he served as critic for the environment, green economy and technology. Until February 2016 he also held responsibility for film, television and TransLink.

After winning re-election in the 2017 provincial election, Heyman was appointed the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy in the newly formed NDP minority government on July 18, 2017.

Heyman defeated Liberal candidate and former Vancouver city councillor George Affleck at the 2020 provincial election, as the NDP achieved a majority government. Following the election, on November 24, 2020 he was given the additional role of Minister responsible for TransLink in the second cabinet of Premier John Horgan. In the new cabinet announced by Premier David Eby on December 7, 2022, he retained the post of Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, while the separate TransLink portfolio was abolished.

Electoral record

2020 British Columbia general election: Vancouver-Fairview
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic George Heyman 15,538 56.07 +1.95 $42,472.54
Liberal George Affleck 7,570 27.32 −4.53 $52,688.01
Green Ian Goldman 4,368 15.76 +2.23 $1,481.40
Libertarian Sandra Filosof-Schipper 234 0.84 – $0.00
Total valid votes 27,710 100.00 –
Total rejected ballots 318 1.13 +0.45
Turnout 28,028 61.08 −4.71
Registered voters 45,991
New Democratic hold Swing +3.24
Source: Elections BC
2017 British Columbia general election: Vancouver-Fairview
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic George Heyman 16,035 54.12 +6.80 $67,813
Liberal Gabe Garfinkel 9,436 31.85 -10.41 $66,722
Green Louise Boutin 4,007 13.53 +3.11 $437
Your Political Party Joey Doyle 149 0.50 – $344
Total valid votes 29,627 100.00 –
Total rejected ballots 204 0.68 -0.14
Turnout 29,831 65.79 +6.81
Registered voters 45,343
Source: Elections BC
2013 British Columbia general election: Vancouver-Fairview
Party Candidate Votes %
New Democratic George Heyman 12,649 47.32
Liberal Margaret MacDiarmid 11,298 42.26
Green Matthew Pedley 2,785 10.42
Total valid votes 26,732 100.00
Total rejected ballots 220 0.82
Turnout 26,952 58.98
Source: Elections BC