In the Feb 2016 by-election (triggered when incumbent BC Liberal MLA Douglas Horne ran unsuccessfully for the Conservatives in the 2015 federal election), NDP Jodie Wickens won 46.5 per cent of the vote, beating Liberal Joan Isaacs and Green Joe Keithley (who is now running for the Green Party in Burnaby-Lougheed).
It’s important to note that voter turnout for the by-election was an abysmal 21.5 per cent, as almost all voters in the Burke Mountain part of the riding (where the BC Liberals are strongest) simply stayed home on voting day. Historically, B.C. governments rarely win by-elections but almost always reclaim a riding that is traditionally theirs come a general election.
In 2013: Douglas Horne handily won reelection by a margin of 49.9 per cent to 37.4 per cent for the NDP.
In 2009: Horne defeated NDP candidate Heather McRitchie by over 3,000 votes in this new riding, 57-35 per cent.
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.
Candidates
Liberals – Joan Isaacs: Returning for another kick at the can, Isaacs, who ran for the BC Liberals in the 2016 Coquitlam-Burke Mountain by-election, has over three decades of experience in the financial services industry. She has a long history of community involvement in the Tri-Cities, focusing on housing and homelessness, mental health, youth and families, and restorative justice.
NDP – Jodie Wickens: Opposition spokesperson for Early Childhood Development and Child Care and deputy spokesperson for Education. Wickens has a child with autism and is past Executive Director of the Autism Support Network.
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Greens- Ian Soutar: He grew up overseas and is fluent in French, Spanish and Portuguese.
Basic Stats:
Population: 54325 (43rd)
Size: 618.9 km (35th)
Density: 87.8 people/km (51st)
Odds and Ends: A suburban riding, just 10 per cent 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.
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