There's no denying that the Burnaby-Edmonds riding is one of the most diverse in the city, if not the province, with a vastly developing infrastructure to keep up with the changing needs of its populace.
Burnaby-Edmonds, in South Burnaby, spans from Boundary Road to Fourth Street, and from Imperial Street to the Fraser River and 10th Avenue.
The riding is comprised of the forthcoming Edmonds Community Centre, the Southgate Neighbourhood Concept project with 48 acres currently under public consultation to help shape its development, and the hotly debated properties either being sold by the province, instead of being used for affordable housing, or being held by the city for a dwindling hope to see an immigration services hub in the area.
There are 49,190 residents, with more than half being immigrants (53 per cent) and visible minorities (59 per cent), according to 2006 census data. Afghanistan, China, Philippines, India, Taiwan, Sudan and even Pakistan are but some of the many countries the riding's immigrants hail from.
The average family income is $69,906, which is about $10,000 less than the provincial average. The top jobs are clerical, sales and service, professionals in science, retail sales and technical sciences.
NDP Raj Chouhan won the riding for the second consecutive term in 2009 with 8,647 votes and beat out Liberal Lee Rankin by 2,000 votes, Green Carrie McLaren by 7,000 and Libertarian Dan Cancade by 8,200. Chouhan served as the shadow critic for multiculturalism, immigration and human rights.
He's the only veteran candidate as the three others campaigning against him are fresh on the provincial political scene.
The riding hasn't had a Conservative candidate since the 1991 general election, but has seen a multitude of other parties since then, such as the Social Credit party, Marijuana party and, now, the newly formed Excalibur party.
There are currently four candidates running, including Jeff Kuah, Liberal; Nicholas Edward D'Amico, Excalibur; and Wyatt Tessari, Green.
As it's been an NDP riding since 2005, Liberal candidate Kuah has his work cut out for him to win the riding over from a politician who has been the MLA for the last eight years.
The two youngest candidates - Tessari, 26 and D'Amico, 19 - will have to prove themselves too, in their first-ever step into the political arena against two other more experienced competitors.
Kuah ran for school trustee for the Burnaby School District in 2011, but finished nearly last - but still has more political experience with campaigning than the other two.
The four candidates have managed to stay out of any controversies so far, but there are still 11 days until the provincial election.
Although the NDP are currently ahead of the Liberals in the polls, both parties have faced criticism for leaders flip-flopping on important issues, running red lights or talking over each other during leadership debates.
Depending on how the party leaders perform in the coming days and the province's overall desire for change, the Green and Excalibur party candidates still have a chance to impress Edmonds voters.
With its diverse community and interesting candidates, Burnaby-Edmonds could prove to be the wild card of the city.
