Decision BC: Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows

In 2009: NDP incumbent Michael Sather held on to this riding in a close race, defeating Ken Stewart by 170 votes, 47-46%.

History & Geography: Part of the old Dewndey riding that spanned the entire northern Fraser Valley for decades, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows has become more urban as its two namesakes have grown, and now spans from Pitt River to 224th Street. The riding has gone to the NDP in four of the last five elections, with the party’s support based in the centre of Pitt Meadows.

Basic Stats:

• Population: 55325 (39th)

• Size: 112.8 km (46th)

• Density: 490.5 people/km (40th)

Candidates

Liberals-Doug Bing: A dentist by trade, Bing has served on Pitt Meadows city council since 2005, topping the polls in all three elections. He and his wife established the city’s first dental practice in 1980. According to his website, he “is a keen photographer who owns an assortment of video and still cameras.”

NDP-Elizabeth Rosenau: A pharmacist, Rosenau was unsuccessful in gaining a federal NDP nomination in 2011. Daughter of a Hamilton steelworker, she has been head coach of the Special Olympic swim team for the last seven years.

Conservatives-Manuel Pratas: A construction manager, Pratas was born in Portugal. A member of the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC, Pratas is a polyglot, fluent in Portuguese, French, Spanish and Italian.

Greens-Michael Patterson: An engineer, Patterson works on telecommunications for wireless carriers throughout North America. He ran for municipal council in 2008, but was unsuccessful. A scouts leader, Patterson cycled across New Zealand twenty years ago.