Prince George celebrates Shirley Bond as her career as an MLA comes to a close

Truly a night to remember.

MLA Shirley Bond was honoured on Friday for her lifelong contributions to public service in Prince George and the province of British Columbia.

There were more than 300 people packed into the ballroom at the Coast Hotel in downtown Prince George to pay tribute to the Prince George-Valemount MLA who spent the last 24 years in service until BC United leader Kevin Falcon pulled the party out of the provincial election race.

Bond took on many roles during her career, including school trustee, school board chair, member of the legislative assembly, minister of advanced education, deputy premier, minister of health, minister of education, minister of transportation and infrastructure, attorney general – the first woman to hold the position in BC’s history – minister of public safety and solicitor general, minister of jobs, tourism and skills training, shadow minister of health, senior services and long-term care, interim leader of the BC Liberal party and leader of the Opposition.

“That’s a resume,” Shirley’s son Chris Bond said during his heartfelt speech about his beloved mother. He said he thought he was Shirley’s biggest fan until he could not reach his Dad, Bill, on the phone one day many years ago and was so worried about him he went to check on him.

“The TV was on at 100 decibels,” Chris recalled. “I asked my Dad to turn down the TV and I said ‘you had the TV so loud, you couldn’t hear my phone calls,’ and he said ‘I turn off the ringer on my phone, I turn off the ringer on the home phone just in case your mum gets up to speak – I don’t want to miss it’ – that’s my mom’s number one fan.”

The evening began with a warm welcome from Lheidli T’enneh Elder Darlene McIntosh.

“This is a wonderful evening,” McIntosh said. “To be able to celebrate what Shirley Bond has done for Prince George and the province of British Columbia within her role as MLA is extraordinary and she is such a great person of influence and she has made so many positive changes in the North. It’s an honour to celebrate all she has accomplished during her career.”

The audience also heard a few words from Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin, and former premier Christy Clark was also on hand to share some memories and talk about working side-by-side with Shirley.

“In my reflecting on Shirley’s career and sitting beside her in the legislature as we did for most of our careers, I think that one of the most difficult tasks that she took on was the work of overseeing the Missing and Murdered Women’s Inquiry,” Clark recalled. “She brought a depth of compassion and attention to detail that that terrible task deserved. She was intent on honouring those women's lives, mourn their deaths, ensuring their names were remembered and understanding and addressing the conditions that had made this horror possible. She gave her whole self to that work. It was done right and it was done with the utmost respect and I will never forget, Shirley, how deeply affected you were. I know the families that you called afterwards, the families that you spoke to throughout the process – I know it was an incredibly moving experience for you and I know it made a difference to all those families who suffered such terrible losses. So thank you – it wasn’t easy.”

Clark continued to speak about the impactful nature of Shirley’s work for the North.

“This part of the province matters to British Columbia and nobody knew that better than Shirley Bond,” Clark said. “Thank you for everything you have done for the province, my friend, for the country and especially for what you’ve done for the north. Most of all thank you for being a uniter at a time when there are so many people who are trying to divide us.”

Bond started her speech filled with gratitude by first thanking her devoted and loving family.

She then turned to people in the audience, including McIntosh and Lheidli T’enneh First Nation Chief Dolleen Logan, and talked about the Bill Bond Memorial Fund bringing life-saving automated external defibrillators into public spaces in northern communities. She also mentioned the gratitude she has for Clark and for Austin, her devoted staff who are suddenly without jobs, Valemount Mayor Owen Torgerson and so many more.

“All of you have shaped the person that I am and I am extremely grateful,” Shirley said, addressing the audience. “I want you to know that I love where we live and I hope you do, too. Mostly I love the people who live here. I am asked literally every day – ‘what comes next?’ And I honestly don’t know. I know this, as the days go by I am finding the heart to reflect on my journey so far. Tonight has really helped me with that. So many blessings.”

Bond acknowledged this was not how she wanted her to career to end.

“But I am finding my way,” she said. “My heart is full of gratitude. What I do know is that I will find meaningful ways to be engaged in this community. To support the organizations that I have come to love and to keep working on the unfinished business that I have like cardiac care in Northern British Columbia.”

She said there is a new chapter ahead.

“It has been the honour of my life to be the MLA for Prince George-Valemount and I will always be grateful,” she concluded.

Also in attendance was BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau, and Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor-General Mike Farnworth.

Coun. Kyle Sampson hosted the evening, which included many video messages from people across the province, including Premier David Eby, former premier Gordon Campbell, BC Lions management, coaches and athletes, Vancouver Canucks, including the Sedins and management, along with several other politicians, and members of the Prince George community leaders including Charles and Mary Jago, Mayor Simon Yu, Aimee Cassie, (CEO Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation), and Loralyn Murdoch (UNBC athletics director), to name just a few.

Bond was presented with her own BC Lions football and a personalized and autographed Canucks jersey during the event.

Logan and Lheidli T'enneh council members presented Bond with a Lheidli T’enneh jacket proclaiming her an honorary member of the First Nations people.

The evening was also a fundraiser for the Bill Bond Memorial Fund at the Prince George Community Foundation to provide funds to the Heart & Stroke Foundation for the purchase of automated external defibrillators, battery packs, and stands as required for Prince George, McBride and Valemount.

It was announced that $27,000 had been raised during the event.