In 2009: Liberal Douglas Horne defeated NDP candidate Heather McRitchie by over 3000 votes in this new riding, 57-35%.
History & Geography: When the Tri-Cities were given a fourth riding before the 2009 election to accommodate their population growth, Coquitlam-Burke Mountain was made to span all of Coquitlam north of Lougheed Highway. Last election, the areas closer to the centre of Coquitlam had some NDP support, while suburbs near Westwood Plateau went heavily to the Liberals.
Basic Stats:
Population: 54325 (43rd)
Size: 618.9 km (35th)
Density: 87.8 people/km (51st)
Odds and Ends: A suburban riding, just 10% of people are over the age of 65, tied for the lowest in the province, and there’s an average of 3.1 people per household, fourth highest in the province.
Candidates
Liberals-Douglas Horne: The parliamentary secretary to the premier, Horne has previously worked for the Conservative party in Ottawa. According to his website, he was CEO of a design and production studio before entering politics. In that role, he helped create the BC-Canada Place exhibit at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino.
NDP-Chris Wilson: An Olympic wrestler for Canada, winning gold at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Wilson defeated D.O.A. frontman Joe Keithley for the party’s nomination. Wilson won the Johnny F. Bassett Award for combining strong community values with athletic achievement. He is currently executive director of KidSport Tri-Cities.
Conservatives-Shane Kennedy: A businessman, Kennedy is the president and director of Consolidated Wireless Inc., a local technology company. He is involved with the Tri-City Homeless Committee and the Knights of Columbus. He ran for Port Moody council in 2011, but finished 10th out of 20 candidates.
Greens-Ron Peters: A healthcare management expert, Peters has a MBA and Bachelors degree in Psychology. He is a volunteer with the City of Coquitlam Multicultural Committee.
Libertarian-Paul Geddes: The vice-president of the B.C. Libertarian Party, Geddes ran in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain in 2009 and Coquitlam-Maillardville in 2005, finishing in fourth place both times. He ran for the marijuana party in 2001, finishing in fifth place.
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