Bill Routley | |
|---|---|
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Cowichan Valley | |
| In office May 12, 2009 – May 9, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | riding established |
| Succeeded by | Sonia Furstenau |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 1948 (age 75) |
| Political party | New Democratic |
| Spouse | Charmaine |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Duncan, British Columbia, Canada |
| Occupation | Mill worker, Trade union representative |
Bill Routley is a Canadian politician who served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 39th and 40th Parliament of British Columbia, from 2009 to 2017. As a member of the BC New Democratic Party, he was elected to represent the riding of Cowichan Valley in the 2009 provincial election and re-elected in the 2013 election. In both parliaments his NDP formed the official opposition and Routley acted as their deputy critic on issues relating to forests and natural resource operations.
Prior to being elected as an MLA, Routley worked in Vancouver Island forest industry. He worked at the Youbou Sawmill before taking a job working for his union, the International Woodworkers of America-Canada, Local 1-80. He eventually became president of the union local, which merged with other unions to become the USW-Steelworkers Local 1-1937. At the union, Routley helped negotiate contracts, advocated for work safety measures, campaigned against raw log exports, and fought mill closure.