BC Liberals in two Tri-City ridings now have their candidates for next year's provincial election.
Last Saturday, the party picked MLA Linda Reimer to defend her Port Moody-Coquitlam seat and Joan Isaacs to run again in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain. In February, Isaacs lost the byelection in that riding — previously held by BC Liberal Doug Horne — to the NDP's Jodie Wickens, who has yet to be officially nominated for the general election.
Their candidacies were announced at the party's first annual volunteer appreciation. The event marked the one-year countdown to the May 9, 2017 election.
Reimer, a former Coquitlam city councillor, currently has no NDP challenger but Port Moody Coun. Rick Glumac told The Tri-City News Tuesday he is considering throwing his hat in the ring. If he were to win the NDP nomination and defeat Reimer, he would resign his PoMo council seat, which could prompt a municipal byelection. (The next general civic election will be held in November 2018.)
Meanwhile, a rematch is expected in Coquitlam-Maillardville, with NDP MLA Selina Robinson up against BC Liberal riding president Steve Kim. On Tuesday, Kim said no nomination date has been fixed though "I'm working for the honour again" to run.
(In the 2013 provincial election, Kim initially defeated Robinson by 35 but the latter won following a judicial recount.)
Port Coquitlam NDP MLA Mike Farnworth also plans to run in his riding, although a nomination meeting has yet to be set. No BC Liberal contender has been named for the constituency and calls to BC Liberal communications manager Jillian Stead were not returned.
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