Two familiar faces are interested in running for the NDP in Burnaby North, a riding that’s been held by the Liberals since 2001.
Janet Routledge, a provincial candidate is putting her name forward, as is James Wang, a city councillor and member of the Burnaby Citizens Association.
“Yes, I have expressed interest in Burnaby North,” Routledge said.
By Tuesday, Routledge had been cleared by NDP headquarters and given the go-ahead to put her name forward, while Wang was still undergoing the vetting process.
Liberal Richard Lee won the riding in 2001 and has held onto it ever since.
Routledge is retired, but she used to work as director of political action with the B.C. Federation of Labour, mobilizing support for labour-friendly election candidates.
Routledge ran against Lee in the 2013 election but lost by 668 votes.
“I think he’s held onto it for a long time, but the elections have always been really close,” Routledge said. “The NDP knows, the Liberals know, this is a riding that can go either way, so it’s really important we fight hard for it, and we intend to.”
Both Wang and Routledge have to be vetted by the party before they can officially put their names forward. The NDP’s Burnaby North riding association nomination meeting is set for Oct. 16.
Wang was first elected as a Burnaby school trustee in 2008, which made him the first immigrant from mainland China to be elected to public office in Canada, according to the city’s website. Wang works fulltime as a city councillor, and he has studied architecture in China.
"I don't think the current Liberal MLA has represented his constituency very well," Wang said. "I've heard from the community; I think they want a change."
The Liberals already announced Lee as their acclaimed candidate in June. Prior to politics, Lee worked as a programmer analyst at TRIUMF, Canada’s particle and nuclear physics lab at UBC.
In spring 2015, Lee was the target of a failed recall campaign led by the B.C. Citizens for Recall.
The next provincial election is set for Tuesday, May 9, 2017.
