Minister of Minister of Agriculture and Lands
Stan Hagen was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Lands on June 23, 2008, and previously served as Minister of Sustainable Resource Management, Minister of Human Resources, Minister of Children and Family Development, and Minister of Tourism, Sport and the Arts.
Before his election in 2001, Stan was the general manager of a local paving company and a former MLA for Comox who served in cabinet. Upon settling in the Comox Valley in 1968, he worked in the construction industry and later started his own company. Stan served as a Comox Valley school trustee from 1972 to 1978. Elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1986 as the MLA for Comox, Stan was appointed within a month of the election to serve as the Minister of Advanced Education, Job Training, Science and Technology. He also served as the Minister of State for the Vancouver Island/Coast Region from 1987 to 1991. During his time as Minister, Stan was responsible for, among other things, promoting the TRIUMF-KAON science project, establishing Commonwealth Distance Education Centre and Science World, and developing and initiating the 'Passport to Education' program. From 1989 to 1991, Stan served as BC’s Minister of Regional and Economic Development during which he led the establishment of the Small Business Assistance Program and the Business Start-Up Program. In 1990, Stan was appointed Minister of Education, was a member of six cabinet committees and chaired the Canadian Council of Ministers of Education.
Stan’s many community involvements have included: fundraising for Simm’s Millennium Park in Courtenay; the Heart and Stroke Foundation; Big Brothers of the Comox Valley; Courtenay Youth Music Camp; the North Island College Foundation; and, Vanier Secondary Dry Grad. Stan was also West Coast Regional Chair of the MILAP Salmonoid Enhancement and Job Creation Program; a member of Comox Strathcona Regional District Economic Development Commission; treasurer of the Comox Valley Chamber of Commerce; and, Founding President of the Comox Valley Community Foundation. Stan was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from Simon Fraser University in 1998.
Born in New Westminster in 1940, Stan and Judy married in 1967 and have five children.
