Decision BC: Vancouver-Fairview

In 2009: Liberal Margaret MacDiarmid won this riding in a rematch of a 2011 byelection, defeating sitting NDP MLA Jenn McGill by just over 1000 votes, 47-42%.

History & Geography: Created in 2001 from the old Little Mountain riding, this diverse riding incorporates parts of South Granville, Shaughnessy, Mount Pleasant, and Riley Park. It’s bordered by Main to the east and 33rd Avenue to the south, with both Granville and Arbutus serving as the western boundary. The general area of Grace McCarthy’s riding for nearly 25 years, this riding has elected Social Credit, Liberal, and NDP candidates in the past. Right-wing candidates tend to rack up large margins in Shaughnessy, while the NDP does better around Main Street.

Basic Stats:

• Population: 55374 (38th)

• Size: 9.8 km (81st)

• Density: 5650.5 people/km (4th)

Candidates

Liberals-Margaret MacDiarmid: The Minister of Health, MacDiarmid has also served as Minister of Education, Tourism, and Labour since being elected in 2009. Before entering politics, she worked for the BC Medical Association, serving on the board for twelve years before becoming president for a one-year term in 2006. She was born in Saskatchewan, but moved to B.C. in 1989.

NDP-George Heyman: A labour and environmental leader, Heyman was executive director of Sierra Club BC from 2009-2012. Before that, he was president of the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union from 1999-2008. He has served with the Workers’ Compensation Board, the Canadian Standards Association, and the National Union of Public and General Employees.

Greens-Matthew Pedley: An engineer, Pedley works for BC Hydro as a Distributions Standards Engineer. Originally from the West Kootenays, Pedley transferred from Selkirk College to UBC, where he served in a variety of student leadership positions.