While the majority of candidates for all the major parties are in place in Burnaby for May’s provincial election, there’s one person who didn’t make the cut.
In May, Randy Rinaldo was chosen as the Liberal’s candidate for Burnaby-Lougheed, but his foray into politics was short lived.
Shortly after, a series of controversial tweets he made a few years back, including one about the Roma population, surfaced and a backlash quickly ensued.
Rinaldo, a local real estate agent, apologized, and the Liberal party stood by him as their candidate, but the damage was done.
By the end of May, Rinaldo decided to drop out of the race.
“My wife and I are expecting our second child soon, and my responsibility as a father needs to be my priority and focus, one that I take very seriously,” he wrote in a statement at the time. “While insensitive Twitter posts from several years ago no longer reflect who I am today, the fact remains that this issue has become a distraction to my candidacy and family responsibilities.”
The Liberals did eventually find a new candidate.
In November, it was announced former Global B.C. anchor and personality Steven Darling would be carrying the party’s banner for Burnaby-Lougheed in the 2017 election.
