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BC Tory leader presses premier to call Port Moody-Coquitlam byelection

The leader of BC's Conservatives pressed the premier this week to call a byelection in Port Moody-Coquitlam.

The leader of BC's Conservatives pressed the premier this week to call a byelection in Port Moody-Coquitlam.

On Friday, John Cummins condemned Premier Christy Clark in a press release for "disrespecting the Legislature" in failing to announce a date to elect a new MLA in the riding as well as in Chilliwack-Hope, where MLA Barry Penner has resigned.

Clark, who was in Port Moody earlier this month, was mum about the timing of the byelection when asked by The Tri-City News.

"Premier Christy Clark should give the people of Port Moody-Coquitlam and Chilliwack-Hope their voices in the Legislature by calling the by-elections as soon as possible," Cummins said in the release. "Port Moody-Coquitlam has been without an MLA for 130 days and the MLA for Chilliwack-Hope resigned 32 days ago. Because of the delay in calling the by-elections the new MLAs will not be in the House in time for the budget.

"The people of these communities deserve to be represented in Victoria," he said.

Last week, the BC Liberal Party acclaimed Dennis Marsden, a past Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce president, to run for the MLA seat left vacant last fall by Iain Black, who took a job as CEO of the Vancouver Board of Trade.

Marsden will face former Port Moody mayor Joe Trasolini, who was acclaimed by NDP leader Adrian Dix, and Christine Clarke of the BC Conservatives in the contest. The Green Party won't be running a candidate because of financial constraints within the organization, said executive director Rebecca Helps.

jwarren@tricitynews.com