BREAKING: John Horgan announces he will step down as premier of BC

John Horgan announced on Tuesday that he will be stepping down as premier of British Columbia as soon as the NDP finds a new leader in the fall.

Horgan cited his lack of energy following a recent successful battle with cancer as the reason behind his decision.

Horgan made the announcement during a press conference in Vancouver.

"My wife Ellie, the love of my life, spent a week … on the west coast of Vancouver Island in my constituency," he began, "reflecting on what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives before I asked that question of my colleagues."

"We came to the conclusion that I’m not able to make another six-year commitment to this job," Horgan continued, adding that he has asked the president of the BC NDP to hold a leadership convention in the fall.

"This has been the thrill of my life to be the premier of British Columbia," he said. "There has been endless speculation as a result of my recent battle with cancer about what my plans would be. I wanna put the speculation to rest so we can get back to what really matters, and that’s the issues before British Columbians."

At sixty-three years old, Horgan has served as premier for five years, and as an MLA for seventeen, spending a total of thirty-six years in public life.

"If you add all that up, it's a lot of intensity," he said, adding that he wanted to pass the torch to the next generation.