Decision BC: Coquitlam-Maillardville

In 2009: New Democrat Diane Thorne squeaked out a victory by under 1000 votes for the second straight election, defeating Dennis Marsden by 668 votes, 48-45%.

History & Geography: Coquitlam-Malliardville has existed since 1979, going to the NDP in every election but 1983 and 2001. It has centred around the core of Coquitlam, and today consists of most parts of the city south of Barnett Highway, with the exception of some neighbourhoods in the northwest that border Port Moody. The suburbs closer to Mundy Lake and Colony Farm tend to support the Liberals, while NDP support is fairly evenly distributed through the riding.

Basic Stats:

• Population: 55575 (35st)

• Size: 28.6 km (62nd)

• Density: 1943.2 people/km (26th)

Odds and Ends: In a city with a strong eastern European heritage, this riding is in the top five for number of people whose mother tongue is Bosnian, Croatian, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, or Italian.

Candidates

Liberals-Steve Kim: A small business owner, Kim is the founder and President of Boilingpoint Group, a marketing and communications firm. The former chair of the C3 Korean Canadian Society, Kim has degrees from Western University and Korea University.

NDP-Selina Robinson: A two-term city councillor, Robinson was the highest vote-getter in the 2011 civic election in Coquitlam. She has worked for SHARE Family & Community Services for over two decades and has a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology. Last year, she led a charge to try and ban all firearms in Coquitlam – but the motion did not pass.

Greens-Edward Stanbrough: A graduate of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Stranbrough is seeking political office for the first time. He joined the party a month before he was acclaimed as the party’s candidate in January.