Decision BC: Richmond-Steveston

In 2009: Liberal incumbent John Yap defeated NDP candidate Sue Wallis by over 7000 votes, 61-27%.

History & Geography: Created in 1991 when the riding was divided into three parts, Richmond-Steveston is bordered by Blundell Road to the north, and Garden City Road to the east until Francis Road, then No. 3 Road south of Francis. With the exception of 1972, Richmond has never elected an NDP candidate.

Basic Stats:

• Population: 54530 (41st)

• Size: 31 km (59th)

• Density: 1907.3 people/km (27th)

Candidates

Liberals-John Yap: Elected in 2005, Yap was the Minister of Advanced Education and Multiculturalism before he stepped down in the wake of the ethnic memo controversy. A banker, he has worked for TD Bank and the Investors group. He was born in Singapore, and has two degrees from the University of British Columbia.

NDP-Scott Stewart: A retired constable, Stewart worked for New Westminster Police as a collision reconstruction investigator. He spent 38 years as a reservist with the Canadian Forces Health Services, including time in Bosnia where he was responsible for the construction of a number of projects. He graduated from Douglas College.

Conservatives-Carol Day: A former Richmond school trustee, Day is the owner of Cat Signs, a local custom sign company. She led a movement against a proposal by the Vancouver Airport to transport jet fuel through the Fraser River, and was narrowly defeated in a bid for city council in 2011.

Greens-Jerome Dickey: A human resources professional, Dickey works at BC Hydro. He has previously worked at Air Canada, and has a certificate from the Justice Institute of B.C. Dickey graduated from Thompson Rivers University, and says his favourite book is “Sacred Balance” by David Suzuki.

Unparty-Mike Donovan: A software developer, Donovan is the leader of Unparty. It aims to run British Columbia through consensus decision-making. The party was previously known as the People’s Senate Party.