Meet the candidates in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain

B.C. NDP incumbent Jodie Wickens is facing competition from Kaden Mann of CentreBC, B.C. Green Party candidate Valerie Morrison, and Ryan Peterson with the Conservative Party.

Wickens, who served as Minister of Children and Family Development, noted her work connecting British Columbians to a family doctor and endeavouring to create new jobs.

Peterson, the co-founder of tech company Finger Food Studios, is running on his track record as a job creator.

CentreBC is currently working on developing the party’s first major policy pillars to address affordability, healthcare, economic growth, fiscal responsibility, environmental sustainability, and Indigenous relations, according to the party website.

The B.C. Green Party’s platform including covering mental health care through the public system and to build community health centres in every region.

History

After being cobbled together from three other ridings in 2008, the riding swung from Liberal to NDP.

Wickens won the riding in 2024, edging Conservative Party candidate Stephen Frolek by approximately 1.2 percent.

NDP MLA Fin Donnelly won convincingly in 2020, capturing 54.9 percent of the vote.

In a dramatic finish in 2017, Liberal Joan Isaacs finished 87 votes – or 0.37 percent – ahead of Wickens.

Geography

The largest riding in the Tri-Cities, Coquitlam-Burke Mountain is roughly bounded by the Pitt and Indian Arm rivers.

Starting on Lincoln Avenue and heading west, the riding boundary swings north to meet Victoria Drive just west of DeBoville Slough. The boundary continues west along Victoria before heading up Wellington Street, across Mason Avenue and Metcalfe Way just above Coquitlam River Elementary and down Oxford Street.

The southernmost boundary follows Lincoln Avenue to Westwood Street before following the rail line to Mariner Way into Johnson Street and swinging north before looping west on David Avenue.