HEED STEPS DOWN

VICTORIA - Vancouver-Fraserview MLA Kash Heed says it wasn't until
after last spring's election that he first heard about the campaign
brochure that apparently led to his sudden departure from cabinet.

Heed stepped down as public safety minister Friday, after he was
informed by an RCMP officer that he was part of a police investigation
into Elections Act violations during the May 2009 election campaign.

Vancouver-Fraserview NDP candidate Gabriel Yiu's campaign complained
to Elections BC after anonymous Chinese-language brochures were
delivered to voters in the final days of the election. The brochures
claimed the NDP supported legalizing drugs and prostitution, and also
supported an inheritance tax, ideas known to be widely opposed in
B.C.'s Chinese community.

An English portion of the brochure claimed "NDP promises could
legalize drugs," increase the price of beer and impose a "death tax."
The brochure is crudely illustrated with pictures of coffins and
injection drug users, using the letters NDP to stand for "negative,
destructive, painful."

Heed said Monday he only heard about the brochures after the election,
from a Chinese newspaper that was brought to his campaign office after
he had won the Vancouver-Fraserview seat by a narrow margin. He said
he paid little attention to it, because "my campaign would never
endorse anything like that."

Heed said he has not yet been interviewed by the police about possible
Elections Act violations, but will co-operate fully and he looks
forward to being reinstated to cabinet.

Premier Gordon Campbell said Monday he didn't know about the brochures
until this past weekend, after he had accepted Heed's
resignation.

Campbell has appointed B.C. Attorney General Mike de Jong to serve as
interim public safety minister.