Neville Langrell Barlee (born 1932 in Grand Forks

Grand Forks, British Columbia

-Schools:Schools in the region are operated by School District 51 Boundary which has its main office in Grand Forks but also serves Midway, Greenwood, Beaverdell, and Rock Creek....

, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

) is a Canadian politician who was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....

 as a New Democrat

New Democratic Party

The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...

 in 1988. He served as Minister of Agriculture

Minister of Agriculture (Canada)

The Minister of Agriculture is a Minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada, who is responsible for overseeing several organizations including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Dairy Commission, Farm Credit Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, National Farm Products Council and...

, Fisheries and Food from 1991 until 1993 and then as Minister of Small Business, Tourism and Culture from 1993 until 1996.

In 1999, Barlee was recruited by the Liberal Party of Canada and ran as the party's candidate in the district of Kootenay-Boundary-Okanagan in the 2000 federal general election, where he was defeated by a margin of just over 8000 votes by incumbent Canadian Alliance

Canadian Alliance

The Canadian Alliance , formally the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance , was a Canadian conservative political party that existed from 2000 to 2003. The party was the successor to the Reform Party of Canada and inherited its position as the Official Opposition in the House of Commons and held...

 MP Jim Gouk

Jim Gouk

James William "Jim" Gouk is a Canadian politician.Gouk began his political career as an alderman in Castlegar, British Columbia. Gouk would enter federal politics in 1993 when he was elected into the Canadian House of Commons. In the Canadian federal election, 1993 he was elected in Kootenay...

.

Despite having served as an NDP cabinet minister, Barlee was able to build a number of positive relationships within the British Columbia Liberal Party

British Columbia Liberal Party

The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...

 which in turn contributed to his decision to run federally for the Liberal Party of Canada.

Barlee is best known for his TV show. Pieces from his collection were also used on his award winning television series Gold Trails and Ghost Towns, which ran from 1986 to 1996 on five different networks nationwide. The show is still seen in reruns.

Work

He has had a varied career as a high school teacher, writer, publisher, and placer miner. Over the past few decades he has carefully amassed an impressive collection of Old West artifacts. Parts of the Barlee collection, valued at more than $1 million, have been placed on display in the Canadian Museum of Civilization

Canadian Museum of Civilization

The Canadian Museum of Civilization is Canada's national museum of human history and the most popular and most-visited museum in Canada....

 in Ottawa as well as in museums around the country.

During his time as Agriculture Minister, Barlee conceived of and implemented the successful Buy B.C. program, the logo of which can now be found on virtually all food products made or grown in B.C. Vancouver Sun columnist Denny Boyd credited Bill Barlee as being one of the best Tourism Ministers B.C. has ever had.

Awards and honours

Barlee has received a number of honours during his career including the "Golden Door" award from the BC and Yukon Hotel Association; the "Stellar Award" by the BC Restaurants and Food Services Association; and the "Visionary Award" from the BC Council of Tourism Associations.

Works

Barlee N.L. 1976 Historic Treasures and Lost Mines of British Columbia. Canada West Publications.

Barlee, N.L. The Pictograph Country: Similkameen. S.l., 1966. Re-released as Similkameen: The Pictograph Country, self-published chapbook, 1978. Re-released as Similkameen: The Pictograph Country (Surrey: Hancock, 1989).

Barlee, N.L. The Prospectors' and Collectors' Guide: Covering the Okanagan, Shuswap, Similkameen Boudary, South Thompson Areas. (n.d.)

Barlee, N.L. South Okanagan: The Sagebrush Country (Canada West, n.d.).

Barlee, N.L. Gold Creeks and Ghost Towns: East Kootenay, Boundary, West Kootenay, Okanagan and Similkameen (Canada West Magazine, 1970?; Canada West Publications, 1980; Hancock House, 1984).

Barlee, N.L. The Guide to Gold Panning in British Columbia Gold Regions, Methods of Mining, etc. (Summerland: N.L. Barlee, 1972, 1974; Summerland: Canada West, 1977; Victoria: Canada West Publications 1979, 1980; Blaine, WA: Big Country, 1984; Hancock House, 1993).

Barlee, N.L. (editor). The Best of Canada West (Langley: Stagecoach Publishing, 1978).

Barlee, N.L. West Kootenay: Ghost Town Country (Canada West Publications, 1984).

Barlee, N.L. Gold Creeks and Ghost Towns of Northeastern Washington (Barlee, 1988; Hancock House, 1999).

Barlee, N.L. Lost Mines and Historic Treasures (Hancock House, 1993).