Burnaby-North MLA Richard Lee made a floor speech in the BC Legislative Assembly on Thursday, February 21, 2008. Mr. Lee recognized that “TRIUMF has already put BC at the global forefront for the development and production of medical isotopes used in the diagnosis and treatment of disease” and is pleased by TRIUMF’s “expansion plans in life sciences and superconducting accelerator technology.” He also congratulated TRIUMF and its partners on their success in the national Centres of Excellence for Commercialization and Research competition.
Before Mr. Lee was elected to MLA of the Burnaby-North riding, he was a programmer and programmer analyst for TRIUMF for twenty-two years. He worked closely with the Accelerator Division to design and build some of the highest technology accelerators in the world. TRIUMF hosted a short visit from its alumnus on February 8.
As the Parliamentary Secretary for the provincial Asia-Pacific Initiative, Mr. Lee was very interested in the multitude of partnerships TRIUMF has with institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. As Mr. Lee said during his floor speech, “British Columbia is increasingly recognized internationally as North America's capital for Asia-Pacific commerce and culture. We are also leaders in many fields of research and development.”
TRIUMF is presently working with the China Institute of Atomic Energy, visiting delegations from the Guangdong industry region, the Tokai to Komiokande experiment in Japan, and pursuing a partnership with Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre in Calcutta. On a tour following the discussion, Mr. Lee was delighted to see that some of the components which he had helped design were fully installed and operational.
To read Mr. Richard Lee’s complete testimony on TRIUMF visit the Debates of the Legislative Assembly, or watch the House Video at 7:40mins into video 1335 from Thursday, February 21, 2008, Afternoon (Vol. 26, No. 11)
by Sandra Fleming
TRIUMF Communications Assistant
Banner Photo Courtesy of the Speaker of the Legislature of British Columbia.