BC NDP candidate Lisa Beare will win the riding of Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, Global News projects.
Beare, who has been serving as tourism, sports and culture minister, beat BC Liberal incumbent Doug Bing by around 1,800 votes.
The riding has a history of being close, and the Liberals and NDP were within a thousand votes in the 2005, 2009 and 2013 elections.
Beare took on two-time Maple Ridge city councillor Cheryl Ashlie. Ashlie was one of the first BC Liberals to be nominated for this election and had been campaigning for months in an attempt to unseat Beare.
What you need to know
Lisa Beare used to be both a pilot, flight attendant and a provincial wrestling champion.
Beare also served a school board trustee before jumping to provincial politics.
“A young boy with anxiety came to a school board meeting and told us that he needed to see a counsellor.” Beare said.
“Due to BC Liberal government cutbacks, there weren’t any counsellors available for him when he needed it most. I knew then that if I wanted to make a difference in my community for people like him, we needed a government that put people first.”
One of the big issues in the riding for the NDP is health care. The government opened an Urgent and Primary Care Centre in Haney Place Mall. The last election was won for the NDP on the promise of getting rid of the tolls on the Golden Ears Bridge.
Candidates
- BC NDP: Lisa Beare
- BC Liberals: Cheryl Ashlie
Swing Riding Meter
Since 1991, the NDP has won the seat five times and the Liberals have won it twice — but the races have been close.
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows was the seventh closest riding in 2017 in the province based on the margin of victory. Beare won by six per cent. It was the third closest seat of the 41 won by the NDP.
Election Results 2017
- BC NDP: Lisa Beare, 12,045 votes (44.8%)
- BC Liberals: Doug Bing, 10,428 votes (38.8%)
- BC Greens: Alex Pope, 3,329 votes (12.4%)
- BC Conservative: Gary O’Driscoll, 676 votes (2.5%)
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.