New Democrat MLA has surgery to remove tumour from colon after abdominal pain

VANCOUVER – A prominent New Democrat MLA is in surgery to remove a tumour from his colon after ending up in a Vancouver hospital.

A statement from the NDP says Shane Simpson was having surgery on Wednesday morning, a day after he was admitted for abdominal pain.

The party says it is not clear whether the tumour is malignant or benign and says there will be no further information until follow-up is done after the surgery.

The 59-year-old caucus chairman for the New Democrats was first elected to the legislature in 2005 and is the Opposition critic of the government’s core review of government programs and spending.

Simpson also has critic duties for gaming, liquor modernization and the BC Pavilion Corporation

And he sits on the legislative management committee, which deals with MLA expense disclosures.