A newly named riding, created from the redistricting of Richmond Centre and Richmond East, Richmond North Centre has the highest percentage of Chinese speakers of any riding in B.C.
In 2013: BC Liberal Teresa Wat more than doubled her NDP challenger in the vote count (49 per cent to 23 per cent).
In 2009: Rob Howard became the third different Liberal in as many elections to win this seat, defeating NDP candidate Kam Brar by over 5,500 votes, 61 per cent to 29 per cent.
History & Geography: With the exception of 1972, Richmond has never elected an NDP candidate.
Candidates
Liberals – Teresa Wat: Minister for International Trade and Minister Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism. Before entering politics Wat was the news director at Omni, and was named one of the province’s 100 most influential women by the Vancouver Sun in 2010. She has also served as a communications adviser for the government, and graduated from the University of Hawaii.
NDP – Lyren Chiu: A nursing instructor at Langara College and the president, founder and executive director of the Canadian Research Institute of Spirituality and Healing. Chiu emigrated from Taiwan in 1999.
Greens – Ryan Marciniw: An accounts representative with Yellow Pages, and a former casino pit boss who led a successful effort to unionize.
BC Action Party – John Crocock: The BC Action Party describes itself as socially progressive and fiscally responsible. They are running two candidates in 2017.
Independent – Dong Pan: One of the founders of Parents Care, the group opposed to the Richmond School Board’s LGBT policy. Pan is a product manager in Richmond with software company SAP.
2017 Stats: Richmond North Centre
Population (2014): 49,157 (69th)
Population Deviation from Average: -7.5 per cent
Area: 440 sq km (41st)
Pop Density: 111.7 (49th)
Average Age: 41.8 years (40th)
English as Second Language: 69.51 per cent (2nd)
Top 3 Second Languages:
Cantonese – 21.12 per cent
Chinese, n.o.s. – 17.23 per cent
Mandarin – 13.05 per cent
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