Jane Shin

Jane Jae Kyung Shin is a Canadian academic and former politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2013 provincial election. She is currently the Vice-President, Students & Community Development at Vancouver Community College.

She represented the electoral district of Burnaby-Lougheed as a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party from 2013 to 2017. Shin is the first Korean Canadian elected to the provincial legislature.

Early life and education Shin was born in South Korea and emigrated to Canada when she was 11 years old. Around her 16th birthday she was hospitalised for a serious health crisis attributed to leukemia or aplastic anaemia. According to Shin, the experience made her a passionate advocate for Canada's health care system. As a child, Shin had volunteered for the Canadian Red Cross Society, Greenpeace, the Multicultural Society of B.C. and others.

Career before politics

Shin studied genetics and cell biology at the University of British Columbia, participating in botanical biochemistry research on the general phenylpropanoid pathway. Shin later completed a doctorate in medicine in 2007 from Spartan Health Sciences University in Vieux Fort, St. Lucia, an institution recognised by the B.C. College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Medical Council of Canada. During medical school, Shin performed clinical rotations at University of Edinburgh, Dalhousie University, and John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital.

Shin later decided that she preferred teaching over conventional medical practice Shin's competitor for the nomination was Craig Langston. Shin won the nomination in November 2012, ahead of the 2013 provincial election.

During the campaign, Shin faced allegations that she had misrepresented her educational credentials in her campaign materials, "Linked-in profile, a B.C. Institute of Technology biography, and in various interviews". She quickly corrected the misunderstandings and clarified that they were not intentional.

Shin won 44.26% of the vote, defeating BC Liberal candidate Ken Kramer who had replaced retiring Harry Bloy who had held the riding for 12 years.

While in office, Shin was assigned several portfolios and roles within the Shadow Cabinet including: Lead Spokesperson for Small Business, the deputy spokesperson role for International Trade, Asia Pacific Strategy, Multiculturalism, Immigration, Intergovernmental Relations, the deputy spokesperson role for Tourism, and Arts and Culture, and served on the Select Standing Committee for Health, and the select Standing Committee for Finance & Government Services. The bill was designed to enhance petitioning with increased accessibility and efficiency. Shin later introduced Bill M-215, the Business Practices and Consumer Protection (Money Transfers) Amendment Act which sought to cap the fees a money broker can charge for international money transactions.

In late 2016 Shin announced that she would not run for re-election. The BC NDP nominated Katrina Chen, a Burnaby school board trustee who subsequently defeated the BC Liberal candidate Steve Darling.

Career after politics After the 2017 BC Provincial election, Shin returned to Vancouver Community College as Dean of Student Development, responsible for the strategic advancement and operational management of student service departments. In 2019, Shin was promoted to Associate Vice-President of Student Success at VCC, adding new mandates for Indigenous Education & Community Engagement, Student Wellness, Career Development, and Strategic Enrollment Management at the institution.

In 2019, Shin was named as one of Canada's Top 25 Immigrants by the Canadian Immigrant. Shin completed the Women in Leadership Program at Cornell University.

Electoral results