Decision BC: Cariboo North

In 2009: NDP MLA Bob Simpson, who has since become an independent, won his second straight close election over a Liberal candidate, defeating Bruce Ernst by 503 votes, 50-46%.

History & Geography: Centred around Highway 97 between Williams Lake and Prince George, Cariboo North spans from Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in the west to Wells Gray Provincial Park in the east. The centre of the old Cariboo riding that the Social Credit party won every election between 1956 and 1991, the riding has voting NDP in three of the last five elections, with most of their support coming from Quesnel and First Nations reserves.

Basic Stats:

• Population: 32980 (77th)

• Size: 33871 km (7th)

• Density: 1.0 people/km (77th)

Odds and Ends: In 2011, 1955 people listed their residence as “movable dwelling”, the most in the province.

Candidates

Liberals-Coralee Oakes: A Quesnel councillor from 2005-2011 before deciding to step down to focus on family health issues, Oakes is the executive director of the Quesnel District Chamber of Commerce. Her family has lived in the Quesnel area for four generations.

NDP-Duncan Barnett: A director of the Cariboo Regional District from 1999-2010, Barnett is from 150 Mile House, just east of Williams Lake. He’s owned and operated a ranch with over 200 cattle for close to two decades, and is President of the Cariboo Cattleman’s Association.

Independent-Bob Simpson: Elected to the legislature in 2005, Simpson is a former teacher and small businessman, owning a couple of retail outlets in Quesnel. In 2002, he was Canada’s national triathlon champion for his age group. He was one of the most outspoken people calling for Carole James to be dismissed as leader of the NDP, and has sat as an independent since the party kicked him out of caucus.