Updated: 16 Tri-Cities candidates in the running across five ridings in provincial election

The unofficial election campaign is finally over and the official election campaign has just begun.

A total of 16 candidates are campaigning in five races across the Tri-Cities leading up to the Oct. 19 election.

Coquitlam-Burke Mountain

Stephen Frolek is representing the B.C. Conservative Party.

Frolek touted his experience as a church youth leader, mission trips to Mexico and his service in the Canadian Forces Army Reserve.

Former MLA Jodie Wickens is running for the B.C. NDP.

Wickens, who served as MLA for Coquitlam-Burke Mountain from 2016 to 2021, voiced her support for restricting short-term rentals, supporting new housing, and giving police more power to address public drug use.

Coquitlam-Maillardville

Jennifer Blatherwick is running for the B.C. NDP.

A school district trustee, Blatherwick has served as a director of the Coquitlam Foundation and as executive director for youth outreach organization Access Youth. Her stated priorities include hiring more doctors, creating more daycare spots, and building more schools

Ken Holowanky is campaigning as an independent candidate.

A Coquitlam resident, Holowanky has appeared before council in opposition to a 41-storey Foster Avenue development, criticizing the project for its height as well as its lack of affordable housing. Holowanky also wrote a letter to the Tri-City News complaining about jet noise stemming from new flight paths.

Hamed Najafi is representing the Conservative Party.

Besides a background in electronics engineering, Najafi is also listed as a real estate agent and was recently named a member of the Coquitlam Rotary Club. His stated priorities include affordability, inclusive prosperity, and community development.

Nicola Spurling is campaigning for the B.C. Green Party.

The founder of the Tri-Cities Pride Society, Spurling advocated for a rainbow crosswalk in Coquitlam. Spurling identified housing affordability, climate change, or government accountability as key issues.

New Westminster-Coquitlam

Ndellie Massey is representing the Conservative Party.

She touted work with BC Hydro as well as managing government projects in South Africa. Massey also highlighted the importance of fiscal responsibility as well as removing government overreach.

MLA Jennifer Whiteside is running for the BC NDP.

Elected MLA for New Westminster in 2020, Whiteside served as the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and was formerly the minister of Education and Child Care.

Whiteside has been a labour leader and negotiated on behalf of the Hospital Employees’ Union. She has campaigned for a living wage and for accessible post-secondary education.

Centennial Secondary teacher Maureen Curran is running for the B.C. Green Party.

Curran has advocated for integrating proactive mental health care into schools and primary care delivery. The approach would be more efficient and cost effective than forcing treatment following a crisis, Curran stated.

She has also opposed privatizing health care services, which Curran stated would lead to pay more or getting less – or possibly both.

Port Coquitlam

Longtime MLA Mike Farnworth has served as Deputy Premier, Minister of Health, and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Farnworth noted the role his government played in cracking down on money laundering and taking down Hells Angels clubhouses.

Keenan Adams is running for the Conservative Party.

Formerly a BC United candidate, the locomotive engineer pledged to hire 500 more police officers. It is crucial B.C. ensures prolific offenders aren’t released after spending a few days or weeks in provincial jail, Adams stated.

Adams also opposed vaccine mandates for healthcare workers.

Green Party candidate Adam Bremner-Akins is a climate activist and organizer currently pursuing a political science degree at Simon Fraser University.

Bremner-Akins has favoured making public transit free for everyone and requiring the government to spend as much on public transit as they do on highways and roads.

Bremner-Akins has also been critical of the government subsidizing the fossil fuel industry, including LNG Canada.

Lewis Dahlby is running as a Libertarian.

Dahlby, who runs a trucking and excavating business, has frequently run as a Libertarian candidate.

The party’s 2024 platform includes addressing housing affordability by simplifying the approval process and looking for opportunities to develop within the province’s agricultural land reserve.

The party also advocates ending ICBC’s monopoly and dissolving the Passenger Transportation Board, which oversees services such as taxis and ride hailing operations.

Port Moody-Burquitlam

MLA Rick Glumac of the BC NDP has worked as a software engineer and previously served as a Port Moody city councillor. Glumac touted his work reducing childcare costs and working to make B.C.’s economy more environmentally friendly.

He has worked on committees tasked with reforming the police act, reviewing the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and has also worked on developing high-speed rail between B.C. and Washington state.

Kerry van Aswegen is running for the Conservative Party.

A business owner, van Aswegen has voiced support for lower taxes, smaller government, balanced budgets, and fewer regulations.

Citing her background in education, van Aswegen has also advocated to remove ideology from classrooms and to restore parental rights.

She has opposed decriminalization of hard drugs as well as safe supply programs.

Current Port Moody Councillor Samantha Agtarap is running for the B.C. Green Party.

Agtarap advocated for universal basic income as well as the protection of old growth forests.

Agtarap emphasized the importance of large corporations paying their fair share of taxes and for phasing out subsidies to the oil and gas industry.

Recently, Agtarap voted with a majority of council to introduce requirements around efficiency and emissions on new buildings.