BC NDP candidate Dan Coulter will win the riding of Chilliwack, Global News projects.
Coulter continued a Metro Vancouver surge for the NDP, flipping a seat long considered safe for the BC Liberals that was also challenged by a well-known Conservative candidate.
Liberal incumbent John Martin had held the riding since 2013.
The riding has undergone various name changes and boundary changes since its creation at the start of the 20th century, and had always gone to either the BC Liberals or Social Credit parties.
In recent years the riding has become smaller and more urban, and the NDP does have some support in its city centre and surrounding First Nations reserves.
Conservative candidate Diane Janzen is a current Chilliwack city councillor.
Janzen was told she would be the BC Liberal candidate and the party attempted to convince Martin not to run again. But Martin decided he wanted to continue to serve and Janzen decided to run for the Conservative Party of B.C.
Coulter is the current Chair of the Chilliwack Board of Education. He has lived in the community for the past 13 years.
“I hope to build on the work that the BC NDP has done for our community. They have done a lot for the community, especially on education and housing,” Coulter said.
Before being elected in 2013, Martin was a faculty member in the School of Criminology at the University of the Fraser Valley.
“Like many jurisdictions, Chilliwack has issues around crime, homelessness and addictions. Addressing these is among my priorities,” Martin said.
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“Widening Highway 1 from Langley eastward to at least Whatcom Rd. is similarly an urgent matter for commuters and commercial vehicles.
Health care delivery was also a key issue in the riding. The community lacks family doctors and Chilliwack General Hospital has several challenges amid one of the fastest growing local populations in the province.
Candidates
- BC Liberals: John Martin
- Conservative Party of BC: Diane Janzen
- BC NDP: Dan Coulter
- BC Greens: Tim Cooper
- Libertarian: Andrew Coombes
- Independent: Josue Anderson
Swing riding meter
The BC Liberals won this riding by 16.04 per cent in 2017.
It was the 35th closest race out of 87 in that election, and the 14th closest of the 43 seats the BC Liberals won.
2017 election results
- BC Liberal: John Martin — 8,741 votes (48.42%)
- BC NDP: Tracy O’Hara — 5,673 votes (32.38%)
- BC Green: Wayne Froese — 3,014 votes (17.10%)
- Independent: Ryan McKinnon — 402 votes (2.1%)
This profile will continually be updated to reflect latest information, interviews and events in the campaign.
Find full B.C. 2020 provincial election coverage here.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots were requested across B.C. this election. As mail-in ballots cannot be counted until after election night, these results are not final.
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