Heavenly Father we give you thanks for the willingness of Bill Routley, MLA Cowichan Valley, to serve the province of British Columbia. We bless the gifts and passions you have given him and pray for many opportunities to bear good fruit in his areas of responsibility. May he be filled with wisdom and understanding in the making of big and small decisions We thank you for his family and the ongoing ways in which they support and engage in community life where they are able. May they know the joy of good health, and well being in all their endeavours. Amen.
Bill Routley was re-elected as MLA for Cowichan Valley in May 2013. He lives in Duncan and is very familiar with the Cowichan Valley as he has watched the area’s communities grow since he was a young man.
Bill serves as Opposition Deputy Spokesperson for Forests – Coastal.
Bill began his career in the forest industry working at the Youbou Sawmill where he served as safety chairman, and then as plant chairman. His passion for helping workers in the mid-Island area earned him election as president of IWA Local 1-80; now USW-Steelworkers Local 1-1937. Eighteen years later, he is now the longest-serving elected president in that union.
Bill served as a pension trustee on the IWA-Forest Industry Pension Plan and with others offered guidance for the management of billions of dollars in assets. He was a member of the IWA-Forest Industry Pension Audit Committee, and was a trustee on the IWA-Forest Industry Health and Welfare Benefit Plan. In addition to his commitment to union members, Bill’s service to the community includes five years as a school trustee in Lake Cowichan (1980-85).
Bill and his wife Charmaine enjoy the company of their two grown children, Noah and Alisha, who have provided the gift of five wonderful grandchildren. While Bill and Charmaine currently reside in Duncan, they started their family in Youbou and then lived at Marble Bay on Lake Cowichan for many years. Bill and Charmaine were very active in Lake Cowichan with their involvement in Boy Scouts (Beavers) and Girl Guides.
Bill and Charmaine understand small business, having owned a home decorating business, the Decorating Den, for many years in the 1990s.