In 2013: NDP incumbent Shane Simpson won re-election by a margin of more than 2-to-1 (59 per cent- 27 per cent), defeating BC Liberal Fatima Siddiqui.
In 2009: Simpson won this riding again, defeating Liberal Haida Lane by 4,500 votes, 55-32 per cent.
History & Geography: Created in 1991 from the old Vancouver East riding, Vancouver-Hastings is bordered by Commercial Drive, Boundary Road, Grandview Highway, and the Burrard Inlet. The riding has elected NDP and CCF candidates in every election since 1960, including former NDP premiers Dave Barrett and Glen Clark.
Candidates
BC Liberals – Jane Spitz: A self-described “Green Tory,” Spitz is new to B.C. politics, having come through the University of British Columbia, where she served as President of the UBC Conservatives, The Manning Centre on Campus, and the Ubyssey board of directors.
NDP – Shane Simpson: The NDP critic for economic development, jobs, labour and skills, Simpson was first elected in 2005. Prior to entering politics, Simpson was Director of Policy and Communications for Smart Growth BC and chair of the Vancouver Planning Commission. He also worked for former Vancouver East NDP MP Margaret Mitchell.
Greens – David Wong: An architect and urban ecologist, Wong has been named one of the B.C.’s “100 influential Chinese-Canadians” by the Vancouver Sun, and is the author of the graphic novel “Escape to Gold Mountain” about the experience of early Chinese immigrants to North America.
Communist Party of BC – Kimball Mark Cariou: There is still a Marxist-Leninist party in B.C. They are running six candidates in 2017.
2017 Stats: Vancouver-Hastings
Population (2014): 59,491 (24th)
Population Deviation from Average: 12 per cent
Area: 14 sq km (76th)
Pop Density: 4,249.4 (10th)
Average Age: 40.5 years (47th)
English as Second Language: 49.25 per cent (17th)
Top 3 Second Languages:
Cantonese – 16.90 per cent
Chinese, n.o.s. – 9.05 per cent
Italian – 3.62 per cent
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