The riding of Burnaby-Deer Lake includes one of the largest shopping centres in the country - Metropolis at Metrotown - and some of Burnaby's most picturesque green spaces, including Central Park and the riding's namesake, Deer Lake Park.
Its population is about 52,000 people, according to the 2006 census, 58 per cent of whom are immigrants. The largest number of visible minorities are of Chinese descent.
It was a hotly-contested riding in the 2009 provincial election, when NDP candidate Kathy Corrigan narrowly edged out incumbent Liberal John Nuraney with just a few hundred votes.
The brouhaha over the location of a proposed remand centre became a divisive issue after it was revealed the Liberal government wanted to place a jail on Willingdon Avenue. The Liberals eventually nixed the plan after protests from concerned residents, but the damage was done. Nuraney had supported the centre, while Corrigan opposed it, which likely gave her the slim advantage she needed to win.
This time, though, Corrigan's seat may feel somewhat safer, according to NOW columnist Keith Baldrey, who wrote last fall: "Corrigan could probably go on a Hawaiian vacation during the entire election campaign and still be able to hang onto her seat."
But Corrigan isn't sunning herself on a tropical beach. Like her fellow candidates, she's hitting the campaign trial. The Liberals have put forth Shian Gu, a Chinese-Canadian medical doctor who's practised in Burnaby for 14 years. The Greens have candidate Rick McGowan, a teacher in New Westminster.
Kathy Corrigan, NDP
Political veteran Kathy Corrigan made the move from the school board to provincial politics in the last election. She is one-half of a local political power duo - her husband is Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan.
If re-elected, her priorities for the area are the replacement of Burnaby Hospital, though she won't say whether the hospital should be moved to another location or rebuilt on site.
"I think what has to happen is a good look at both possibilities," Corrigan said.
The Liberals' "bogus-committee" fiasco hampered the Fraser Health Authority's ability to look at health care in a wider scope, Corrigan said, referring to a three-page memo leaked last fall that outlined a plan to makeover the hospital to boost the Liberals standing in Burnaby.
"I think this was another plan, like the (ethnic) quick-win scandal, to use health care in Burnaby, and specifically Burnaby Hospital, to gain votes," Corrigan said.
Pipeline expansion is another issue for Corrigan. Kinder Morgan wants to twin the Trans Mountain line, which runs oil from Alberta to the West Coast and a terminal in Burnaby.
NDP party leader Adrian Dix issued a statement on April 22, saying he did not want Vancouver turned into a major oil export facility and that an NDP government would take back "decision-making authority" from the federal government, likely over the environmental assessment.
Prior to the election, Dix said he wouldn't take a position until there was an application on the table.
"I think what Adrian was anticipating was . people in B.C. are concerned," Corrigan said. "I've always said I have real concerns, I've said that for months now.
"We saw what (can) happen with a relatively small spill that was stopped within a number of minutes here a few years ago in North Burnaby," she said.
Corrigan said her party is focusing on building more affordable housing.
"We've made a commitment to building 1,500 units a year," she said.
Rick McGowan, Green
In 2009, support for the Greens declined in every Burnaby riding compared to the 2005 election.
But candidate Rick McGowan expects the party will do better this time around. He wants Greens to gain seats and shake up the status quo.
"There's a small group of powerful people who run the show and dictate how the city develops," said McGowan, who also ran for city council in the 2011 municipal election.
One of biggest misconceptions is that the Green party is "just an environmental party," McGowan said.
"We have a comprehensive platform," he said.
McGowan said the Burnaby Hospital upgrade is one of the most important issues for his riding in this election.
He also said the city needs a homeless shelter, though he's not "married to" where it should go in the city.
"A lot of people I speak to, they've expressed that a homeless shelter is necessary here, (for) 365 days a year. It's not just for the really destitute; there's also a need for couch-surfing teens. You need a place, kind of like an emergency room, (where) people can go," he said.
He opposes the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion and applauds the NDP's recent declaration about it.
"It's about time. They sat on the fence for a long time," McGowan said.
Asked if he thinks the NDP may have made the statement to avoid losing environmental votes to the Greens, McGowan said, "Probably, and I'm glad that we've had that influence."
Unlike the two major parties, the Greens don't have a whip system, a political model that requires members to toe the party line. Greens want their candidates to vote from their own conscious, McGowan said.
Shian Gu, Liberal
As a medical doctor, Shian Gu said the Burnaby Hospital is a key priority for him. Gu praised the recently implemented "supertrack" expansion at Burnaby Hospital. Supertrack is a separate and dedicated area for non-urgent patients with its own team of nurses, physicians and unit clerks. Gu said the program has helped alleviate emergency room wait-times.
Replacing the hospital is not an immediate concern for Gu.
"St. Paul's Hospital, on Burrard Street, they have a history of more than 100 years; Burnaby hospital is only 50-years-old," he said.
The hospital offers "high-quality" services and some of the equipment is still "usable," he said.
If a new hospital is built, it would require funding from the three levels of government, Gu said.
As for the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, Gu said the Liberals have a "very clear" position that involves five conditions that must be met first. The plan includes an environmental assessment and input from First Nations.
As for the environmental risk if there is a leak, Gu said, "Right now, we have more up-to-date techniques, rather than 10 or 20 or 30 years before, so probably (it will) reduce the chance of leaking pollution."
Gu criticized the NDP's Kinder Morgan flip-flop and said the party has a hefty spending plan but hasn't said where the money will come from.
As for the question of homelessness, Gu said it's an issue he's looked into. He talked to a group that helps the homeless in Burnaby and was surprised to learn that there are more than 300 homeless people in the city, he said.
"I think those people should be taken care (of) and should be looked after, and if I am elected, I'd probably pay some attention to this," Gu said.
Election day is on Tuesday, May 14. For more information about where to vote in Burnaby-Deer Lake, visit www.elections. bc.ca.
with files from Jennifer Moreau
