Mayoral, council and school board candidates in the Tri-Cities are gearing up their campaigns, putting the final touch on brochures and websites, and knocking on doors.
But two contenders will be canvassing for votes in municipalities where they don't live.
According to nomination papers filed last week, Coquitlam council candidate Fred Soofi is an Anmore resident while Rebecca Helps, who wants a Port Moody council job, calls Victoria home.
Section 66 of the Local Government Act, the provincial legislation that regulates how municipalities run, gives a number of qualifications for holding elected office, such as being 18 or older on voting day, being a Canadian citizen and being a B.C. resident for at least six months. But there's nothing in the act that stops a non-resident from running for, or holding, office.
On Wednesday, Soofi told The Tri-City News he recently put a down payment on a property in Burquitlam and he plans to move into his home in about a year, when it is built. As well, he said until last year, he co-owned a home on Westwood Plateau with his brother.
Soofi, a 10-year Anmore resident, said he has been a small business owner in Coquitlam for 30 years and decided to run in Coquitlam - not Anmore - because of the number of issues the city faces, especially in terms of its growth. "I have a commitment to Coquitlam," he said.
Meanwhile, Helps, who has represented the region for the Green Party at the provincial and national levels, said she's living in Victoria and working for the party but also owns a condo in Port Moody.
"If I get elected, I'll be living in Port Moody full time," she said, noting she has permission from her employer to work from home.
jwarren@tricitynews.com
- with files from Diane Strandberg
