The other Richard Lee backs Kathy Corrigan

By Dan Hilborn
Published Feb. 15, 2006


Richard T. Lee, the Burnaby North MLA, is siding with the Burnaby school board chair Kathy Corrigan in the ongoing debate whether students should be singled out based on their ethnic background.

"We should not be stereotyping any particular ethnic group," the Liberal MLA said of the controversy brewing caused by his namesake, Richard A.Y. Lee, during a recent Burnaby school board meeting.

"Burnaby is a very diverse city and we have residents tracing their heritage from all over the world," said the MLA. "Different cultures have different strengths, and I think we can learn from each other.

"You just cannot look at (test) results, and say one group is better than another," he added.

Last week, the rookie school trustee Lee sparked a minor controversy when he singled out "Asian families" for particular congratulations because of the academic success of their children in the district's advanced placement program. Those comments raised the ire of Corrigan.

This is not the first time the two Richard Lees have been on the opposite side of a political debate in Burnaby. In 1996, the pair faced off against each other for the MLA's seat in Burnaby North when R.A.Y. Lee was a member of the Progressive Democratic Alliance, and R.T. Lee was a first-time candidate for the B.C. Liberal party.

MLA Richard Lee has been active in diversity issues in the city, including serving as a director on the Burnaby Multicultural Society's board.