A School District 43 trustee will be the NDP candidate in Coquitlam–Maillardville for this fall’s provincial election.
On Saturday, June 8, members of the constituency association acclaimed Coquitlam trustee Jennifer Blatherwick as the candidate to replace MLA Selina Robinson, who is retiring.
In a news release, the two-term school board trustee stated that housing and healthcare will be two of her campaign planks leading into the vote that takes place on Oct. 19, 2024.
“I’ve been lucky to raise five children here in Coquitlam and I know from experience that families thrive when they have a government on their side,” Blatherwick said in the release.
“Kevin Falcon and John Rustad have shown they’ll pave the way for their powerful friends and their interests and we can’t risk that. It’s more important than ever that we have a leader focused on making life better for families: hiring more doctors, creating more daycare spots and building more schools. That’s David Eby.”
In the release, Eby called Blatherwick — who is also the interim executive director of the ACCESS Youth Outreach Services Society — a “champion for people and families.”
Blatherwick joins MLAs Mike Farnworth (Port Coquitlam) and Rick Glumac (Port Moody–Coquitlam) on the Tri-City NDP ticket; MLA Fin Donnelly (Coquitlam–Burke Mountain) is not running for re-election.
Regionally, the list of candidates is sparse heading into summer campaigning season.
Keenan Adams (Port Coquitlam) is the only BC United contender so far (Brandon Fonseca is no longer a Coquitlam–Maillardville candidate for the party) while the BC Conservatives have four candidates for the five new electoral districts in the Tri-Cities:
- Stephen Frolek, Coquitlam–Burke Mountain
- Kerry Van Aswegen, Port Moody–Burquitlam
- Ndellie Massey, New Westminster–Coquitlam
- Hamed Najafi, Coquitlam–Maillardville
The pre-campaign period starts July 23, 2024 with the election due to be called on Sept. 21. The candidate nominations close at 1 p.m. on Sept. 28.
Advance voting starts Oct. 10.
Do you know what electoral district you live in? To find out, visit the Elections BC website and enter your address. The 2024 election will be the first general election conducted under the modernized Election Act that will include new technology to administer the election and make voting faster and easier.
