BC United's Michael Lee, once a leadership candidate, won't seek re-election

Michael Lee speaks to the audience during a leadership debate in Vancouver on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. British Columbia's Opposition BC United is losing another elected member just ahead of the province's fall election. (Ben Nelms / The Canadian Press)

British Columbia's Opposition BC United is losing another elected member just ahead of the province's fall election.

Michael Lee, a former party leadership candidate and the Vancouver-Langara representative in the legislature for the past seven years, says he's heading back to the private sector and will not seek re-election on Oct. 19.

Lee says in a statement on social media he will take a job in October as the chief strategy officer at UrbanLogiq, an artificial-intelligence company.

Lee, who served as Opposition critic for the attorney general, transportation, and Indigenous relations, says he has great respect for BC United Leader Kevin Falcon and is grateful for their friendship.

BC United announced today community leader Jaime Stein will instead be the party's candidate in Vancouver-Langara.

BC United has lost representatives Elenore Sturko and Lorne Doerkson, and candidate Chris Moore, to John Rustad's B.C. Conservatives, while Ellis Ross and Mike de Jong plan to run for the federal Conservatives in the next general election.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2024.