General

B.C. energy minister quits

Blair Lestrom tenders his resignation, blames HST

Blair Lestrom, B.C.’s minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, announced his resignation Friday, citing widespread opposition to the HST. “The people I represent say we want to talk to you about this,” Lestrom says, “we want you to put the brakes on the HST.” Lestrom also criticized B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell’s government for pushing ahead with the tax despite the public outcry. Opponents of the HST have collected hundreds of thousands of signatures on a petition to protest its implementation, but Campbell remains unswayed by the outpouring. The premier says he has no plans to drop the HST, which is set to come into effect July 1.

The Star

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