Rick Glumac is set to continue his cabinet role as liaison to the Pacific Northwest under new B.C. premier David Eby, and then some.
The Port Moody–Coquitlam MLA was formally re-appointed to the position on Wednesday (April 20), which provides a voice for the province alongside Washington and Oregon in deepening cross-border relations.
But Glumac will also take the chair as president of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) in July, with the goal of exploring more opportunities to expand partnerships with other potential member provinces and states.
And it comes with an added financial foundation as Eby revealed a $500,000 grant for the PNWER to get started.
"Whether it's flood mitigation on the Nooksack River or the incredible potential of high-speed rail connecting Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, British Columbians are directly impacted by how our cross-border partnerships work," said Glumac in a news release.
"I am also excited to work on opportunities that, on one side, help B.C. businesses expand their markets into U.S. jurisdictions and, on the other side, help American businesses, like clean tech, invest in our province."
The high-speed train Glumac refers to has been a topic of conversation for some time, and is a piece of potential infrastructure the B.C. government appears to be keen on coming to fruition.
Under John Horgan, the province invested a total of $900,000 — $300,000 on three separate occasions — to feasibility studies in understanding the likeliness of a 400 km/h bullet train between Metro Vancouver and northern Oregon.
This summer, the PNWER is set to host a summit in Idaho, as well as one in Whistler in 2024, that'll bring regional leaders together to discuss the possibilities of sharing resources during the tourism wave stemmed by the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The men's soccer tournament is set to be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the U.S., with Vancouver and Seattle as host cities for games.
Practices include agriculture, housing, disaster resilience, electrification and planning.
"The relationship that British Columbians have with our American friends and neighbours is very strong, and our partnerships should be equally strong," added Eby.
Prior to his appointment, Glumac visited Washington state with Governor Jay Inslee and participated in a roundtable with clean-tech companies to pitch investment opportunities for B.C.
Glumac was originally named premier's liaison to the Pacific Northwest in December 2020 after winning a second term as Port Moody-Coquitlam MLA in the 2020 provincial election.
