B.C. safety minister suspended from driving for speeding violations

CBC NEWS:
B.C. Liberal candidate John van Dongen — who was solicitor general and minister of public safety before the legislature was dissolved for the May 12 election — has been suspended from driving because of his speeding tickets. Van Dongen, who's running for re-election in Abbotsford South, issued a written statement Friday, saying he "accepted the temporary prohibition." He said he recently received a letter from the Office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles (OSMV) — which has been part of his cabinet portfolio — giving notice of "a driving prohibition due to tickets I have received for speeding." He made no mention of when the traffic infractions occured. "I will not be appealing the decision and have mailed my driver's licence to the OSMV," van Dongen said. "I fully understand and accept responsibility for my driving behaviour and believe it is my duty to fully and completely comply with the decision." Van Dongen has asked the government to have his responsibility for the OSMV and the Insurance Corp. of British Columbia reassigned. "While I am not currently involved in any active decisions as minister with respect to these agencies, I feel it is important that both my actions and this latest decision do not have any detrimental impact on public confidence in either ICBC or OSMV. "I fully recognize the importance of public safety and compliance with the law on our roads. The law applies equally to me as it does to everyone else and I strongly support that," van Dongen said.