Rob Howard | |
|---|---|
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Richmond Centre | |
| In office May 12, 2009 – May 14, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Olga Ilich |
| Succeeded by | Teresa Wat |
| Richmond City Councillor | |
| In office 2001–2008 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1954 or 1955 (age 69–70)[1] Richmond, British Columbia, Canada |
| Political party | BC Liberal |
| Other political affiliations | Municipal: Richmond Non-Partisan Association (2001-2002) Richmond First (2002-2006) Independent (2006-2008) |
| Spouse | Trudy |
| Children | Jay |
| Residence(s) | Richmond, British Columbia |
| Occupation | Property management |
Rob Howard (born 1954 or 1955) is a Canadian politician who was elected to the 39th Parliament of British Columbia as the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the riding of Richmond Centre. A member of the BC Liberal Party, he replaced retiring BC Liberal Olga Ilich in that riding, by winning the riding in the 2009 provincial election. While his party formed a majority government, Howard was appointed to several committees, including the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts in the first two sessions, and Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services in the third and fourth session.
As chair of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, Howard supported Premier Gordon Campbell's efforts at establishing the Harmonized Sales Tax. Following Campbell's resignation, Howard endorsed Kevin Falcon but Christy Clark won the leadership election. Clark made Howard a Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Transportation. In this position he advocated for open sky agreements and continued this advocacy in his post-political life by establishing the non-profit organization OpenSkies4Canada. Howard did not seek re-election during the 2013 provincial election and was replaced by BC Liberal Teresa Wat.
Prior to his election to the legislature, Howard worked in property management, and served as a city councillor in Richmond, British Columbia for seven years. He was first elected to the Richmond, British Columbia City Council in the October 2001 by-election as a member of the Richmond Non-Partisan Association, and was re-elected in the November 2002 and 2005 civic elections as a member of the Richmond First Party. He sat on council as an independent starting in 2006. While on council he advocated in favour of casino expansion, locating the Olympic speed-skating oval in Richmond, and developing a convention centre.