John Horgan’s seat will remain unoccupied until a by-election is called

Former premier John Horgan has formally resigned his Victoria-area seat in the British Columbia assembly.

The Office of the Speaker says in a social media post Horgan give out written notice he was formally resigning Friday as the member for Langford-Juan de Fuca.

Horgan, who has twice battled cancer, said last month he was speeding up his retirement plans after announcing last June that health reasons were compelling him to end a 30-year political career.

That included five years as premier, eight years as New Democratic Party leader, five terms as MLA and a dozen years as a party-political staff member.

In his goodbye speech, Horgan told members of the house he was vigorous and acknowledged all those who supported him throughout his short period with throat cancer.

The Office of the Speaker says Horgan’s seat will remain vacant until a byelection is called.

The office says it has yet to get an official resignation letter from former NDP cabinet minister Melanie Mark, who declared last month she was resigning as MLA for Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.