Christy Clark said the Burnaby-Deer Lake riding has "no business" being held by the NDP, and that the Liberals only lost that riding in the last election because of the prison issue.
Former Liberal MLA John Nuraney used to hold the riding, now known as Burnaby-Deer Lake, but he lost it by approximately 500 votes to the NDP's Kathy Corrigan. Prior to the 2009 provincial election, the Liberals had proposed building a remand centre near Willingdon, which upset many local residents.
Clark made her comments while chatting with the NOW, following a Q&A session with reporters at Garibaldi Glass on Friday.
SHIN IN THE SPOTLIGHT AGAIN
The Liberals have been busy digging up dirt on Burnaby-Lougheed candidate Jane Shin, first questioning her credentials and then pointing to some contentious comments she made online more than 10 years ago. The latest tidbit of information they're querying is her address. According to Shin's CV, her permanent address is in Surrey and her temporary one is in Burnaby on Royal Oak Avenue. Her campaign manager Sage Aaron offered this explanation: "The Surrey address is her parents' house.
That's where she sends government mail like taxes, etc. The Burnaby address is where she lives with her dogs."
Despite the Liberal party's concerns about Shin, their Burnaby-Lougheed candidate, Ken Kramer, has seemed somewhat reticent to criticize Shin publicly, instead saying he wants to focus on getting out and meeting voters. Meanwhile, Shin has gone relatively quiet, issuing written statements instead of taking phone calls from reporters and allowing others - like Jenny Kwan and her campaign manager - to respond to the Liberal's barbs.
HOPING FOR DEBATE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
SFU's graduate student society is hoping to host Burnaby-Lougheed candidates this Thursday, May 9. According to an email sent to Burnaby-Lougheed candidates, the society's Julia Lane was disappointed in the lack of discussion on post-secondary education in the leaders' debate, televised on April 25. Lane invited all four Burnaby-Lougheed candidates to visit SFU on May 9, which is also the day the university's graduate and undergraduate societies will be encouraging students to vote. At press time, a few things were still unknown: the exact location, time, confirmed attendance and whether the event would be open to the general public. For more information, call the society at 778-782-3899. There have not been any all-candidates meetings in the Burnaby-Lougheed riding so far.
ONLY TWO MAIN PARTIES HAVE FULL SLATES
Only the Liberals and NDP are running a full slate with 85 candidates in this election. The B.C. Conservatives managed to muster 56 candidates, while the Greens are running 61. There are 35 candidates listed as independent, and 11 with no affiliation. Some B.C. Conservative candidates - Christine Clarke and Wayne Marklund, for example - will be listed as having no affiliation on the ballot, because their party failed to file the necessary paperwork in time.
There are several fringe parties running one or two candidates, including the Platinum Party, the Helping Hand Party, the Work Less Party and the Christian Heritage Party. The B.C. Socreds have one candidate listed, while the Communist Party of B.C. is running four. In all, there are 376 candidates representing 19 political parties in this election.
NEW VOTING APP AVAILABLE
Elections B.C. has launched a very handy smartphone and IPad app for the provincial election. The app can use your phone's GPS to direct you to the nearest station for general voting day on May 14. (You don't have to vote in your own riding; you can cast your ballot at any general voting location in the province.) The app also includes basic information on candidates, voter registration and advanced voting in an easy-to-use, intuitive format. To download the app, go to www.elections.bc.ca. Advance voting takes place from May 8 to 11. General voting day is May 14.
THE WHEELS ON THE CAMPAIGN BUS .
Wayne Marklund, B.C. Conservative candidate for Burnaby North and founder of Candu Glass Ltd. in Burnaby, is getting out and about for his campaign.
Raymond Power, who is managing Marklund's campaign, said the candidate will have an office but will mostly be out in the community with a campaign bus.
"Conservatives on the move," was how he put it in an email to the NOW.
PUNK AND POLITICS
Burnaby resident and punk rock legend Joe Keithley came up five votes short of securing the NDP nomination in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain riding. Keithley, front man for D.O.A., is back touring with the band, playing fundraisers for the NDP and has not ruled out politics yet.
- by reporters Jennifer Moreau and Janaya Fuller-Evans
