Decision BC: Burnaby-Deer Lake

In 2009: The NDP’s Kathy Corrigan squeaked out this riding over Liberal incumbent John Nuraney by just over 500 votes, 49-46%

History & Geography: When Burnaby expanded from three to four seats in the 2009 election, Burnaby-Deer Lake was created, mostly from the previous riding of Burnaby-Willingdon. Bordered by Boundary Road in the West and Imperial on the South, this diverse and dense riding includes BCIT and Metrotown. The area has voted for both NDP and right-wing candidates in the past, but generally leans towards the NDP.

Basic Stats:

• Population: 54625 (40th)

• Size: 13.8 km (76th)

• Density: 3,958 people/km (11th)

Odds and Ends: Home to the most people who speak Kurdish, Finnish, or Turgulu, Burnaby-Deer Lake is a riding of immigrants, with 61% of residents having a mother tongue other than English, one of the highest marks in the province. In 2006, 46.5% of dwelling were rentals, the highest number outside Vancouver or Victoria in the province.

Candidates

Liberals-Shian Gu: Acclaimed as the Liberal candidate in early March, Gu has not run for office before. A doctor, Gu is the Acting Director of the Burnaby Medical Centre of British Columbia, and has been practicing medicine in Burnaby for 14 years.

NDP-Kathy Corrigan: The wife of Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan, Kathy Corrigan is the critic for Public Safety, Solicitor General and women’s issues. She was formerly mayor of the Burnaby School Board, and is a lawyer by trade.

Greens-Rick McGowan: Metrotown-area resident McGowan, 42, finished 20th out of 21 candidates for Burnaby council in 2011 as part of the Burnaby Greens slate. A high school teacher in New Westminster’s adult education program, McGowan has helped organize a neighbourhood improvement association for Metrotown.