BC Election 2017: Chilliwack-Kent

Formerly called Chilliwack-Hope, it has been renamed because Hope has been added to the Fraser-Nicola riding. The BC Liberals would have won this riding, under the new boundaries, in 2013 by a wide margin: 50 per cent to 34 per cent over the NDP.

Candidates

BC Liberals – Laurie Throness: Backbencher, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General for Corrections. A former chief of staff for federal Conservative MP Chuck Strahl. A veteran civil servant Throness also worked for former Chilliwack Social Credit MLA Harvey Schroeder, who served this area from 1972-1986.

NDP – Patti MacAhonic: The Director for the local Ann Davis Transition Society ran in the 2013 election in Chilliwack.
An MBA with a long background in executive management, MacAhonic was widowed when she was 29 and has become an advocate for injured workers.

Green- Josie Bleuer: A Chilliwack on-call firefighter, Bleuer has worked in the film industry for a decade as a “greensman.”

2017 Stats: Chilliwack-Kent

Population (2014): 51,021 (66th)
Population Deviation from Average: -3.9 per cent
Area: 3,168 sq km (24th)
Pop Density: 16.1 (64th)
Average Age: 40.3 years (49th)
English as Second Language: 12.34 per cent (56th)