Bains named KPU chancellor after 19 years as Surrey-Newton MLA

Harry Bains, a longtime labour advocate and former MLA for Newton, has been appointed the next chancellor of Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU). He succeeds Kwuntiltunaat Kim Baird, a former elected Chief of Tsawwassen First Nation. Baird began the first of her two terms in October 2020.

Bains served 19 years as MLA for Surrey-Newton, the riding where KPU is headquartered, on 72 Avenue. He took over this month as the university’s ceremonial head, with duties that include presiding over convocation, where credentials are conferred on graduating students. He stepped down as MLA in 2024. Bains said he was excited to serve an institution he holds in high regard after serving the community for many years.

Bains received an honorary Doctor of Laws from KPU in 2025. He will be the university’s fourth chancellor since it became a polytechnic university in 2008. KPU president and vice-chancellor Dr. Diane Purvey called him a friend of the university for decades. She cited his service on the board, his time as MLA for the riding that hosts KPU’s busiest campus, and his continued attendance at convocation and campus events after leaving politics as examples of his steady engagement and support.

In the 1990s, Bains served on the KPU Board of Governors for six years, including three as vice-chair. In September 2024, after announcing his departure from B.C. politics, he reflected on a life of labour activism sparked by a racist incident at work. Bains says his path to politics began at age 21, when he worked at a sawmill in Vancouver in 1973, two years after moving to Canada from India.