2017 British Columbia election

[136or142]

It should be noted that last year "Lotuslander" posted an endless posting about why there was absolutely no chance whatsoever that the BC NDP could win the byelection in Coquitlam Burke Mountain. The NDP won the byelection. He also went on ad nauseous in the last federal election about how the NDP was doomed DOOMED to be reduced to just six seats in BC. They won 14 seats even as they did worse than expected in the country as a whole.

Caveat emptor

And he didn't pay off his bet after losing to me.

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Very deceitful Adam T. And I mean VERY. You rebuffed the bet... which ya conveniently forget.

I did no such thing.  You still owe me $1,000.

Lotuslander is a troll.  Seriously, why has he not been banned from this forum?

[136or142]

And we also have "adma" who is nothing more than another NDP troll.. this time from Ontario... 3 time zones away. Again... providing nothing analytically useful to this thread. Don't understand why both you and "Adam T" are not both banned for violating/breaking clear forum policy/rules.

BTW, "Dumb and Dumber" has always been my fave flick.

Actually, I'm not an NDP troll except insofar as *anybody* who, to you, is charitable t/w the NDP and willing to give them the benefit of the doubt (at least as a serious component of our viable electoral-choice network) is, in your eyes, a troll.  In fact, I think of myself as more of an all-around psephological sensualist--and as such, I have every right to be interested and even willing to perform constructive advice and observation on elections not in my own territory.  And even to read meaningful between-the-lines data in seemingly boring "slam-dunk" constituencies a la the recent federal Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner byelection.  Stuff that *is* analytically useful, even if I'm several time zones away.

For you see, at its best, "analytically useful" transcends partisan bias.  Just as in Medicine Hat; whatever our individual partisanship,  it's boring to deem the result "boring".  Polling maps and polling data are fun, even when the race *appears* on the surface to be ho-hum.

By comparison, from what I can tell--you're not interested in that kind of stuff.  You're offering *political* arguments; you're not offering *electoral* arguments; you're not allowing for any nuances or wiggle room, and especially if they go against your theorems.

So, if you're attacking me for being an Ontarian, may I counter-attack *you* for being *disinterested* in Ontario.  And I speak from a realm where with exceptions (most notably the Rae interlude), the NDP's tended to be even *more* terminally-third-party marginal.  Yet...elections, poll-by-poll numbers and all, are interesting here, too.  So, why aren't you interested?  Why are you so constipated?  Why'd you rather stick to BC, and *just* to BC--and even doing BC an injustice by simplifying the tableau to fit your case?

I mean, under the circumstance, you might as well be suggesting the author of this piece has no right to speak on behalf of BC's modern heritage (Erickson homes et al) because he's from Ontario.
http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/another-one-bites-the-dust-ericksons-graham-house.html

My advice: Don't feed the trolls. 

I usually believe in only speaking for myself, but I suspect that most people here have Lotuslander on Ignore.

[136or142]

My advice: Don't feed the trolls. 

I usually believe in only speaking for myself, but I suspect that most people here have Lotuslander on Ignore.

I wouldn't say that; more like, most people don't give enough of a whozis to put him (or *anyone*, for that matter) on Ignore.  I mean, *I* don't have anyone on Ignore--that tactic's for wimps.  Yet at the same time, "wimpy" is just as well descriptive of Lotuslander's labelling of myself as an NDP troll.

And again, for all his bombastic claims of his "knowing" BC politics, I still have this inkling Lotuslander's gotten into hot water over "dirty tricks", and is basically using this forum as the last anonymous refuge of a scoundrel, getting back at those who "wronged" him or "set him up"...

I don't agree that removing the comments from trolls is wimpy.  It just saves me a bit of time.

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And again, to be fair, Lotuslander...in many respects, my position re BC electoral prospects is significantly *closer* to yours than Adam T's position is.  In fact, if you want proof, look back to a serious argument I had with him around the beginning of the year re the likeability-or-unlikeability, far-right-or-moderation, electability-or-non-electability of Christy Clark--it certainly wasn't NDP-shill talk on my part.

However, I also made a point of striking a "disinterested observer" position, because, well, I'm *not* in any explicit political camp.  In fact, I haven't actually actively worked for any party or candidate in at least a decade.  Therefore, I'm shilling for neither the NDP nor for Christy Clark--it helps me to be an agile "free-of-mind" electoral witness.

By comparison, what you're doing is shilling, and it compromises your tone of observation.  And in fact, it's counter-productive insofar as I'm actually *embarassed* to be, if not bullish, at least "bullish-allowance" re BCLiberal prospects or BCNDP non-prospects, because you're likely to go all blowhard "see?  I was right!"
To which I respond...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMaUBeaiHnQ

I'm not sure what you're referring to.  The only thing I recall is the I called, which I still believe, that Christy Clark is a narcissist who has no interest in public policy other than to the degree that it gets her into the spotlight.  She is an absolutely terrible and completely phony person.  Though, as I believe I also wrote at the time, a lot of people say that she can also be a genuinely nice person in personal dealings.

I don't recall writing how I thought that would play into the next election or into the NDP's chances of winning the next election.

Edit:  I may also have written that if the NDP can't win under these circumstances, the party leaders need to seriously rethink the continued existence of the Provincial NDP.  I also stand by that.

[136or142]

I'm not sure what you're referring to.  The only thing I recall is the I called, which I still believe, that Christy Clark is a narcissist who has no interest in public policy other than to the degree that it gets her into the spotlight.  She is an absolutely terrible and completely phony person.  Though, as I believe I also wrote at the time, a lot of people say that she can also be a genuinely nice person in personal dealings.

But you see, it's those kinds of characterizations (or for that matter, DL's characterization of Alberta's past "rabidly rightwing government") that fuel the sneers of a Lotuslander.  He gets his jollies out of beating the cr@p out of candy-a$$ wimps like you, so to speak--you're an easy mark for him, and it's an "easy markness" that he projects onto anyone (including myself) who has, er, "issues" with his bombastic Viagra-fueled form of political judgment.

I mean, I'm not altogether *denying* what you're saying about Christy Clark; but hey--she's a politician;-) And from my chosen "disinterested" position, I can channel the sentiment of "indifferent middle" voters for whom BCLiberal remains (like the Alta PCs long remained, even through the Klein years) a safe-choice comfort option unless they're convinced/coerced otherwise.  And in that case, you're ironically handicapped by "knowing her too well"...

Even if I didn't have Lotuslander on ignore, I wouldn't care in the slightest what he 'thinks.'

This isn't the case of her being a politician, I know what normal politician's are like and your argument which you acknowledge is based on not knowing anything about her, is the tired false equivalence of 'they all do it.'

I think you need to be here to fully appreciate what I mean when I claim that Christy Clark is only interested in issues when she knows there are cameras recording the events.

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Vaughn Palmer mentioned in an article some time back that for a number of reasons John Horgan was disappointed with the slate of candidates the NDP ran in 2013.  After I had a brief back and forth with him, the one thing I agreed with him on with that was that the NDP were nowhere near as successful as the B.C Liberals in recruiting municipal politicians to the slate, as only nine of the NDP's 47 defeated candidates held municipal office (The NDP lost 51 ridings in 2013, but four were MLAs who were defeated.)

It may be a bit early to say for certain, but it seems the NDP is making an effort this time to recruit mayors, city/town councillors, school trustees, regional district directors and native band chiefs and councillors.

In the six ridings where NDP MLAs are retiring, three of the four new candidates hold or held elected office.

1.Burnaby-Deer Lake, Anne Kang, Burnaby City Councillor
2.Burnaby-Lougheed, Katrina Chen, School Trustee
3.Columbia River-Revelstoke, Gerry Taft, Mayor of the District of Invermere

16 New Democratic candidates have been nominated in non NDP ridings so far. Those who hold or held municipal office are:
1.Kamloops-South Thompson, Nancy Bepple, Kamloops City Councillor 2008-2014
2.Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, Lisa Beare, School Trustee
3.Penticton, Tarik Sayeed, Penticton City Councillor
4.Kootenay East, Randal MacNair, Fernie City Councillor and former Fernie Mayor
5.Abbotsford West, Preet Rai, School Trustee
6.Port Moody-Coquitlam, Rick Glumac, Port Moody City Councillor
7.Parksville-Qualicum, Sue Powell, Parksville City Councillor

One other nominated candidate, Jagrup Brar was an NDP MLA from 2004-2013, while former M.P (2011-2015) Jinny Sims has been nominated in Surrey-Panorama.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/41st_British_Columbia_general_election#Candidates

Also, for those who might have been concerned that the NDP would lose its connections to the high tech sector when Matt Toner bolted from the NDP to the Green Party, three of the candidates nominated so far hold management positions in the high tech sector or own high tech related businesses:

1.Morgane Oger, Vancouver-False Creek
2.Tarik Sayeed, Penticton
3.Rick Glumac, Port Moody-Coquitlam

A fourth New Democrat, Bowinn Ma, in North Vancouver-Lonsdale is a professional engineer.

Also, Gerry Taft is a gelato shop owner while Randal MacNair owns a small publishing firm. Who will represent white working class British Columbians?

More seriously though, this election to me is resembling more and more what happened in 1972.  The NDP thought it would win the 1969 election with the urbane lawyer Tom Berger as leader, but, sort of just like in 2013, he 'frightened' British Columbians with the idea of an NDP government (The NDP's slogan in that election was 'ready to govern.')  

After the defeat in 1969, most pundits thought Social Credit was a lock to be reelected in 1972 and then new leader Dave Barrett played into that by saying (this wasn't the NDP's slogan) "we just want to reduce the number of Social Credit MLAs"  Barrett later joked that to fellow New Democrats he would complete his sentence by adding "to zero."

I don't know if John Horgan will play up the NDP's underdog status in this election or not though.

[136or142]

1. Nancy Bepple (Kamloops-South Thompson) - In the November, 2014 Kamloops municipal election, Bepple placed in 16th place for council out of 8 spots

I don't know the details of why she ended up in 16th place, but Bepple resigned from city council in March of 2014 due to health concerns and then later decided to run again in the November 2014 election.  So, she was not an incumbent city councillor when she placed 16th.

http://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/kamloops-coun-nancy-bepple-resigns/


The important thing is being better known in the community which is what holding municipal office affords.  I take the rest of your comments recognizing them as the absurdly biased nonsense that they are.

I would regard the rest of Lotuslander's comments along the lines of "Yes, the NDP nominated Jesus Christ, but he's running in a riding with a large Jewish population, and there's no way they'd vote for him."

For anyone curious, I do have Lotuslander on ignore.  But since he commented right after my post, I figured he replied to what I wrote so I clicked 'show.'  For instance, I skipped over the discussion between he and Adma because there's no point in reading one side of a discussion.   (Sorry Adma!)

[136or142]

It turns out I will have a happy election no matter the result.  I just found out yesterday I am in the new riding of Richmond-Queensborough while Linda Reid is running (again) in Richmond East.  

The Liberal candidate in Queensborough  (and almost certainly the next MLA) is a well respected former journalist named Jas Johal.  As much as I dislike Christy Clark, I could vote for him.

The NDP candidate in Queensborough, though not yet officially nominated, will almost certainly be a human rights lawyer named Amandeep Singh.

http://singhthindlaw.com/

[136or142]

Actually, IVR polls are quite accurate in BC...Forum's final poll on the eve of the 2013 BC election was almost dead-on...But almost all of the public domain polling in BC in the 2013 was online and not phone based at all.

Its clearly going to be a tossup in Bc in May, but what has to be encouraging for the BC NDP is that this poll has the Greens at 17% and in the past four elections in BC, the Greens ALWAYS poll in the mid-teens before the campaign begins and then drop to single digits by election day. According to this poll the Green vote is very very soft (only 32% are certain they will vote that way) and when Green voters are asked about who their second choice is - it is NDP over BC Liberals by a 5 to 1 margin.

I suppose BC Liberal supporters might take some solace from how this poll has the moribund BC Conservatives at 10%...but its interesting that when BC Conservatives are asked who their second choice is - they go NDP over Liberal 37 to 30. We saw a similar phenomenon in the last ontario election where Ontario PC voters hated Kathleen Wynne so much that they overwhelmingly said they would support the Ontario NDP before they would vote for the Ontario Liberals. I suspect that those BC Conservative supporters really dislike ardent federal Liberal Christy Clark and that most of them simply wont vote or will vote for various small "c" conservative independents

The B.C Conservative Party also seemed to take more votes from the NDP in 2013.  This isn't necessary a surprise as the B.C Conservatives and the B.C NDP are both considered populist parties in many parts of British Columbia (especially in Northern Vancouver Island and the Interior.)

I thought Stephen Harper went back and forth on whether he was a conventional economic conservative or whether he was an economic populist, but the B.C Conservative Party leader in that election, John Cummins, was known in B.C as an economic populist (though in his very election campaign effort, for some reason he chose to run as more of a conventional economic conservative.)

Edited to add:
By an economics populist I am referring to the type of Conservatives here in Richmond at the municipal level. The B.C Conservative candidate in one of the Richmond ridings in 2013 was Carol Day a popular city councillor.  Economic conservatives on our city council like former B.C Liberal MLA Ken Johnson tend to be in favor of every property development proposal, whereas economic populists like Carol Day tend to be more suspicious of them.  Carol Day, like old line conservatives are also in favor of efficient delivery of quality public services, as opposed to believing that essentially all government spending is 'wasteful.'

So, to the degree that those represent the views of 2013 B.C Conservative voters, it's not necessarily a surprise that those voters would look more favorably to the NDP than to the B.C Liberals.

[136or142]

If the NDP wins in BC, I look forward to them banning all corporate and union donations to political parties - which of course would bankrupt the BC Liberals who can only survive off massive corporate donations...plus some judicial inquiries into all the corruption under Crooked Christy. She is the most dishonest corrupt politician in Canada and ought to be thrown in jail.

That last part is a bit over the top. She's corrupt, but I don't think anything that she's done is actually illegal.  (Which is, of course, interesting in and of itself.)  Also, I think Kathleen Wynne's government, if not Wynne herself, is more corrupt.

[136or142]

Btw/ Lotuslander's usual big-penis bile and DL's "Crooked Christy" business, this thread's giving me a pretty big whiff of cum grano salis.  Just saying.

It's like they're a pair of suitors battling for the affection of a fair damsel like Lil' Ole Me, not knowing that I feel they're both blowhard creeps who aren't worth my time.

(But hey; maybe that's a reflection of how sharply polarized and nuance-free BC electoral politics *always* has been.)

And your comment sounds to me like the 'both sides are equally bad' stuff.

[136or142]

Adma. You're just another hardcore Toronto NDPer with another one of your typical snide "drive-by" comments. Hundreds of other threads for ya to go to. Go troll/pollute those. Leave this one alone.

In case you didn't notice, my knock was collectively aimed *both* at yourself *and* at DL.  It's about tone, not partisanship.

The moment we can arrive at a certain BC election-discussion decorum that isn't hijacked by retrograde hack-political-operative cant, I'm happy

Lotuslander is a troll plain and simple.  There is no question he is well informed, but all that means is he is a well informed troll.

[136or142]

Lotuslander is a troll plain and simple.  There is no question he is well informed, but all that means is he is a well informed troll. Period.

The definition of "troll" is someone who posts irrelevant & inflammatory bafflegab in order to disrupt a thread. By that definition, you are a troll.

Sigh. Every once in a while it appears a "full moon" exists in this thread. At the strike of midnight... the trolls morph into werewolves,  get on their all-fours, and howl at the moon. Strange breed.

If you're not a troll then pay me the $1,000 you owe me.

[136or142]

Lotuslander is a troll plain and simple.  There is no question he is well informed, but all that means is he is a well informed troll.

Well, I don't deny that he has a lot of the ground-level knowledge--but it's *how* one uses it and expresses it that matters.  That is, if you're to fall back on trollspeak and insufferable remind-us-every-time-how-great-he-is Keith Baldrey fawning, you're undermining your own authority.  And my distancing myself from the Lotuslander/DL battle isn't so much "both sides are equally bad" as "both reps of either side are equally bad".  In fact, I'd argue that the better approach to these kinds of political-overviews is less condemnatory than that of an affectionately, strategically wry jaded bystander with a clear window into the lay of the land--not unlike this forum's mod, Hash.  
Unfortunately, Lotuslander's no Hash.

Forgive me if it wasn't you, but I believe it was you who said I was overly swept up into the hyper partisanship of British Columbia when i wrote here something like "virtually nobody in British Columbia likes Christy Clark and outside of provincial Liberal hyper partisans, virtually everybody regards her as a narcissist who is interested in governing only as long as she gets her picture taken."

It's just one poll, but I think it backs up what I wrote:
Christy Clark
Favorable 21%
Unfavorable 57%

[136or142]

Though favourability/unfavourability polls do not necessarily equate with electoral choice in the end.  (And in a way, Rachel Notley in Alberta faces an inverse situation--high favourables vs low reelectability)

But, again, I recall that's what I wrote at the time.  I wrote something like "Yet, by no means is the NDP certain to win the next election. If the B.C NDP can't win under this circumstance, they need to seriously rethink their existence as a political party."  I believe I said much the same thing as Dominic Cardy said in New Brunswick, that they need to remove that anybody who wants to join the NDP at the provincial level must also join at the Federal level, and, where applicable, even at the municipal level.

[136or142]

Why does this forum get so nasty and snide when talking about BC, of all places? This must be the only place where discussions about Israeli elections end up less controversial than discussing Vancouver politics.

Lotuslander.

Correction. The NDP has a certain sect within that treats the NDP as a "church". The so-called Jehovah's Witness/Scientology sect within the NDP that views any criticism as heresy & blasphemy.

Certainly Adma & DL - all from Toronto, Ontario fit that mold as well as Adam T. In centrist political circles these types are referred to as the "loony left". It is what it is.

I don't think expecting you to pay the $1,000 for the bet you lost to me is loony at all.

[136or142]

Why does this forum get so nasty and snide when talking about BC, of all places? This must be the only place where discussions about Israeli elections end up less controversial than discussing Vancouver politics.

Lotuslander.

Correction. The NDP has a certain sect within that treats the NDP as a "church". The so-called Jehovah's Witness/Scientology sect within the NDP that views any criticism as heresy & blasphemy.

Certainly Adma & DL - all from Toronto, Ontario fit that mold as well as Adam T. In centrist political circles these types are referred to as the "loony left". It is what it is.

Actually, Lotuslander, I was tipped on your identity and it seems like, for all your self-proclaimed "expertise", you leave a pretty shallow Google footprint other than a Twitter account and, through said Twitter account, this.

https://bcelection2017-87ridings.blog/

And judging from the "About" page, there's something about your tone that still seems like it hasn't matured much beyond your Grade 5/7 epiphanies.  I mean, the Superbowl and Arnie as cultural references?

Indeed, you may have become infatuated with infrastructure and "economic growth stuff"; but there doesn't seem much...culture.  Or history.  Or dimension beyond suspended-animation juvenilia.  And maybe this tweet says it best about how culturally stunted and pathetic you are.

https://twitter.com/Lotuslander1000/status/628048052599701504

As I've suggested before: to me, elections and election stats can be a sensual, multidimensional thing--even in binary BC.  In fact, I've just been on a bender with the 2015 federal stats for BC, correlating with polling maps and the like.  And really...once you're deep into that, raw partisanship, "loony left" or not, doesn't matter.  It all gains added dimension; you sense nuances even within the results for "loser" parties.  And it helps balance a person.

It has dimension, in the same way that a long, satisfying road trip has dimension, that--as I've said before--choosing the Trans-Canada over the Coquihalla has dimension.  

Though it now seems from your infrastructural obsession that indeed, you probably *would* prefer the Coquihalla because it represents "progress".

But anyway...to me, elections aren't just like the Superbowl.  They *supercede and transcend* the Superbowl.

In the end, Lotuslander, your so-called grand gestures and your self-proclaimed "centrist circle" knocks on the "loony left" remind me of Trump.  You display your so-called unequaled expertise and authority the way that Trump displays his so-called impeccable taste in decoration and women.
But what we, the "loony left" "losers", see behind Trump's boasts is parvenu vulgarity to the nth degree and a plastic doll from Slovenia.  But oh,  I guess we're "just jellus".

You may see yourself as "centrist"; but what I see is a philistine.  Political-analysis "authority" in a tasteless-blowhard package.

Are you sure that's him?  I had a discussion with the guy behind that website a few days ago on Twitter and I didn't get any bad feelings with that discussion.

[136or142]

The NDP has announced the last candidate to fill out their slate for the election in line with the campaign kickoff (Peace River South was the last riding.)

Due to the large demand here (every person has messaged me demanding this - actually nobody has) I will once again list the slate of NDP candidates for every riding. 

Please remain at your computers right on this web page until I do so.

[136or142]

Vancouver
1.Vancouver-Fairview, George Heyman,67, Executive Director Sierra Club, former President BCGEU, runner and kayaker, M.L.A 2013-

2.Vancouver-False Creek, Morgane Oger,48, RO IT Systems Lead Consultant, Owner Pilothouse Marina (located in Powell River), President Trans-Alliance Society,  B.Sc-Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture

3.Vancouver-Fraserview, George Chow,66, Retired B.C Hyrdro Senior Engineer, B.Sc-Engineering, Vancouver City Councillor 2005-2011, 2013 nominee in Vancouver-Langara

4.Vancouver-Hastings, Shane Simpson, Smart Growth B.C Director of Policy and Communications,  Former Community Economic Program Instructor, Former CUPE Legislative Coordinator, Former Executive Director Worker Ownership Resource Center, Former Vice Chair Isadora's Cooperative Restaurant, M.L.A 2005-

5.Vancouver-Kensington, Mable Elmore,48, Bus Driver and Union Local Activist, B-Physical Education,  M.L.A 2009-

6.Vancouver-Kingsway, Adrian Dix,53, Executive Director Canadian Parents for French (Education) B.C and Yukon Branch, former Premier Glen Clark Chief of Staff, B.A-History and Political Science, M.L.A 2005-

7.Vancouver-Langara, James Wang, Canadian Overseas Holdings Vice President and Marketing Director, Canada Export Center Senior Advisor, M.B.A,  Burnaby City Councillor 2014-, Burnaby School Trustee 2008-2014, Golfer

8.Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, Melanie Mark, 41, B.C Children's Advocate Deputy Representative, B.A-Political Science and Sociology, Certificate-Children and Youth Human Rights, Executive Certificate-Business Administration and Management, M.L.A 2016-

9.Vancouver-Point Grey, David Eby,40, Human Rights Lawyer, Executive Director B.C Civil Liberties Association, Law Professor,  Former President Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, B.A - English - rhetoric and professional writing, LLB - law, M.L.A 2013-

10.Vancouver-Quilchena, Madeline Lalonde,22, S.I Systems Inc I.T Recruiter (Employee Recruiter), B.A-Sociology

11.Vancouver-West End, Spencer Chandra Herbert,36, Dance Troupe Manager, B-Fine Arts, Vancouver Parks Commissioner 2005-2008, M.L.A 2008-

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Greater Vancouver
1.Burnaby-Deer Lake, Anne Kang, Elementary School Music Teacher, B.-Music, B-Elementary Education, Certificate-Special Education- Gifted and Creative Learners, M-Special Education, Montessori Certificate, Burnaby City Councillor 2008-

2.Burnaby-Edmonds, Raj Chouhan, Hospital Employees Union Director of Bargaining, Founding President Canadian Farmworkers Union,  M.L.A 2005-

3.Burnaby Lougheed, Katrina Chen, M.P Peter Julien Constituency Assistant, B.A-Political Science (minor-history) Certificate - Immigration Laws, Policies and Procedures, Burnaby School Trustee 2014-

4.Burnaby North, Janet Routledge, Retired Public Service Alliance of Canada Regional Director, Employment and Insurance Board Referee, B.A-Political Science and Economics, M.A-Liberal Studies, Masters Thesis: "Why did the American White Working Class Vote for Sarah Palin?"  (She went back and earned her masters years after earning her B.A), 2013 nominee

5.Coquitlam-Burke Mountain, Jodie Wickens,34, Executive Director Autism Support Network, B-Community Rehabilitation - Disability and Applied Behavior Analysis, Certificate - Behavior Intervention-Classroom and Community Support, M.L.A 2016-

6.Coquitlam-Maillardville, Selina Robinson,54, Self Employed Couple and Family Therapist, Counselling Instructor, SHARE Family Services Director of Development, M.A-Counselling Psychology, Coquitlam City Councillor 2008-2013, M.L.A 2013-

7.Delta North, Ravi Kahlon,38, N.D.P Caucus Director of Stakeholder Relations, Field Hockey Player and Olympian, Field Hockey Youth Coach

8.Delta South, Bruce Reid, High School Counselor and School Counselors Association President, Richmond Teacher's Association Executive, Former Salvation Army Pastor and Administrator, Delta School Trustee 2014-

9.New Westminster, Judy Darcy,67, Hospital Employees Union Business Manager, Former President CUPE, Studied Political Science, Kayaker, M.L.A 2013-

10.North Vancouver-Lonsdale, Bowinn Ma, Civil Engineer and Project Manager, B.Sc (Applied)- Civil Engineering, M-Management

11.North Vancouver-Seymour, Michael Charrois,54, Actor and Theater Arts Instructor, B-Fine Arts, 2008 and 2011 Federal Nominee and 2015 Candidate for Nomination, 2001 Provincial nominee

12.Port Coquitlam, Mike Farnworth,57,  International Democracy Organization Worker, Former M.L.A Constituency Assistant, B.Sc-Geography, Port Coquitlam City Councillor 1983-1990, M.L.A 1991-2001 2005-

13.Port Moody, Rick Glumac, Atmi Software Inc Development Team Lead, B.Sc-Electronics Engineering, Port Moody City Councillor 2011-

14.Richmond North Center, Lyren Chiu, Nursing Instructor and Former Professor, Executive Director Canadian Research Institute of Spirituality and Healing, Former Owner Beautiful Minds Wellness Center,  B.Sc-Nursing, M.Sc-Psychiatric Liaison Nursing (minors Nursing Administration),  PhD-Nursing

15.Richmond South Center, Chak Au, Mental Health Therapist and Richmond Mental Health Team Program Leader, Richmond School Trustee 1999-2011, Richmond City Councillor 2011-

16.Richmond-Queensborough, Amandeep Singh Chandi (Aman Singh), Human and Civil Rights Lawyer and Law Firm Partner, B.Sc-Anthropology and Physics, J.D

17.Richmond-Steveston, Kelly Greene,37 Co-Founder Richmond Schools Stand United

18.West Vancouver-Capilano, Mehdi Russel, Physician, Managing Director Bioca Pharma (pharmaceutical export consulting), Ondine Biomedical Inc Vice President International Marketing and Sales, M.D, M-Public Health, M.B.A, PhD-Health Planning and Management, Former Iranian Health Department Senior Civil Servant (Developed the Iranian Public Health Insurance System)

19.West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, Michelle Livaja,45, Former B.C Nurses Union Communications Specialist, Volunteer Tai-Chi Instructor, Certificate-Communications, Communications Student

Any errors in the information presented are the fault of anybody but me!

[136or142]

How did a socon get on the NDP ticket? Instamembers, or did the NDP do a crappy job on their vetting?

If this is true, it would be a surprise to me.  I can't speak Chinese so I don't know what Chak Au said.

What I'm aware of is that some person placed an ad in a Chinese newspaper that said that with Chak Au as the NDP candidate, that Richmond would become like the Downtown Eastside with same sex marriages, sex education, injection sites and the like.

As I posted, Chak Au has been a school trustee and then a city councilor here in Richmond for nearly 20 years and he has been mostly associated with the 'left wing' on those boards.  If he had ever made a comment against sex education in schools as a school trustee I have no doubt it would have become a major issue.  The most controversial thing about him is that he has switched municipal political parties a couple times and ran with the more 'right wing' slate the last time around.  However, he generally votes with the more 'left wing' faction on council.

For instance, in the 2013 provincial election, he supported fellow city councilor Carol Day who ran with the B.C Conservative Party.  However, as I've noted before, the B.C Conservatives, unlike the Federal Conservatives (the two parties are not united and most federal Conservatives support the B.C Liberals)
the B.C Conservatives are more of a populist party and Carol Day on city council mostly votes with the 'left wing' faction especially in terms of opposing 'runaway' property development.

Chak Au was also asked to run for the Federal Conservatives in 2015 and apparently briefly considered the idea.  

It should be noted here that Au has been totally open about all of these things and has not tried to hide his political 'machinations.'  So, that he would have covered up his views on these issues for going on 20 years would be a major surprise to me.

This is me speculating, but I would be surprised if the Provincial NDP did not discuss Chak Au with longtime city councilor and former Richmond M.L.A Harold Steves before talking to Au about the possibility of running.

I would remind you that the Original Poster here on this is Lotuslander and that only a fool would believe anything he says without checking and double checking.

He could be right, but I haven't seen anything about it and it would be a surprise to me.

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Surrey
1.Surrey-Cloverdale, Rebecca Smith, Executive Director Surrey Hospice Society, Management Consultant and Firm Owner (Valshiva Consulting), Former Executive Director B.C Psychological Association, Former President Bully Free B.C,  B.A - Political Science and Government, M.B.A, Certification - Public Relations, Advertising and Applied Communications, 2015 Federal NDP nominee

2.Surrey-Fleetwood, Jagrup Brar,58, Former Radio India Talk Show Host, Former Executive Director Surrey Self Employment and Entrepreneur Development Society (SEEDS), M.P.A, M-Philosophy, Former Indian National Team Basketball Player, M.L.A 2004-2013

3.Surrey-Green Timbers, Rachna Singh, CUPE National Representative, Former Drug and Alcohol Counselor, M.A-Psychology

4.Surrey-Guilford, Garry Begg,66, Retired RCMP Senior Inspector, Police Institute Graduate - Law and Justice, 2015 Federal Nominee

5.Surrey-Newton, Harry Bains,65, I.W.A. Local Vice President, M.L.A 2005-

6.Surrey-Panorama, Jinny Sims,64, Former President B.C Teacher's Federation, Former High School English Teacher, B-Education, M.P 2011-2015

7.Surrey-South, Jonathan Silveira, Re/Max Realtor and Mortgage Broker, 2014 Surrey School Board Candidate (Received highest vote of any non winning candidate, though still only around half the votes of the lowest Surrey First slate candidate)

8.Surrey-Whalley, Bruce Ralston,64, Lawyer and Firm Owner,  Former Director and Chair VanCity Savings Credit Union, Former President B.C N.D.P, B.A - History, J.D, Surrey City Councillor 1988-1993, M.L.A 2005-

9.Surrey-White Rock, Niovi Patsicakos,60, Retired Special Education Teacher, Former President Association of Surrey Specialist Educators, Former B.C.T.F Activist, M-Education-Remediation and Special Education, 2014 Surrey School Board Candidate

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Fraser Valley
1.Abbotsford-Mission, Andrew Christie, Gordon Neighborhood House Community Food Advocate, former Head Chef and Food Security Coordinator, (Lives in Vancouver)

2.Abbotsford South, Jasleen Arora, Simon Fraser University Steps Forward Senior Facilitator (SFU Campus) (Supports Post Secondary Students with Developmental Disabilities),  B.A - Criminology and Sociology, M.Sc- Leadership and Organizations - Philanthropic Leadership, (Lives in Burnaby)

3.Abbotsford West, Preet Rai, Chartered Accountant and B.C Government Auditor, B - Commerce - Accounting, Abbotsford School Trustee 2008-, 2013 Nominee (Lives in Abbotsford )

4.Chilliwack, Tracey O'Hara, School District Secretary, CUPE Local First Vice President and Former Shop Steward, Fraser Valley (Labor) District Council Trustee

5.Chilliwack-Kent, Patti MacAhonic, Executive Director (Chilliwack) Ann Davis Transition Society,  C.E.O and Lead Consultant Executive Business Smarts and L-Attitude in Leadership Consulting Ltd, Former Executive Director Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce, MBA - Management Consulting, B.A (Hons)-Adult Education, Provincial Instructor Diploma, 2013 Nominee, 2014 City Council Candidate (Top Non Winning Candidate)

6.Langley, Gail Chaddock Costello, Langley Teacher's Association President, Former Education Professor, Former School Principal, Bed and Breakfast Owner, B.A- B - Education, M - Education, 2009 Nominee, 2013 Candidate for Nomination

7.Langley East, Inder Johal, Kwantlen (Polytechnic University) Public Interest Research Group Marketing and Communications Coordinator, B.C Fed of Labor Health and Safety Center Workshop Facilitator - Alive After Five Program (Occupational Health and Safety Programs for High School Students and Young Workers), B.A - Criminal Justice, A.A - Criminology, Certificate - Graphic Design

8.Maple Ridge-Mission, Bob D'Eith,52, Entertainment Lawyer and Firm Owner, Music Consultant, Pianist, Author, Former Executive Director Music B.C,  Record Label and Publishing Owner (Adagio Music Inc), B.A(Hons) - History, 2015 Federal Nominee, 2013 Provincial Candidate for Nomination

9.Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows, Lisa Beare,40, Former Flight Attendant,  Former CUPE Local Vice President, Diploma - Local Government Management, Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School Trustee 2014-

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I'm still seeing no reporting on the alleged story on Chak Au.  I'm more than a little suspicious that that post was deliberate 'fake news' by Lotuslander.  If that is the case, I hope the moderator here finally bans Lotuslander.