Vancouver-Burrard Liberal MLA Lorne Mayencourt has told the Straight that he won't run for the provincial legislature in 2009. Mayencourt, 51–who introduced the Safe Streets Act in the legislature–was first elected in 2001 against the NDP's Tim Stevenson and won a rematch in 2005.

"I made a decision and told the premier back in October that I wasn't going to run again in Vancouver-Burrard for the provincial seat," Mayencourt said in a December 21 phone interview.

He added that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has asked if he would be willing to run federally. Mayencourt said there is a "50-50 chance" that he will run in Vancouver Centre against Liberal MP Hedy Fry, NDP candidate Randall Garrison, and Green party candidate Adriane Carr.

"I'm thinking about that," Mayencourt said. "I've been asked to consider other levels of government, like civic government."

In the meantime, Mayencourt is president of the British Columbia New Hope Recovery Society, which has leased a 65-hectare former army base near Prince George. Mayencourt said the society has converted the base into a drug-treatment facility, which accepted its first five patients three weeks ago.

The society relies on private donors to deliver a live-in, abstinence-based approach similar to a program Mayencourt studied in San Patrignano, Italy. "We have a young lady here who is five months pregnant," he said. "We've got a heroin addict; we've got a couple of crack addicts; we've got a couple of coke addicts. It's a very diverse group, but we're working to get there and becoming a family."

He said the creation of the New Hope centre is his proudest accomplishment as an MLA.