A former MLA for Coquitlam-Burke Mountain will try to succeed the riding’s current representative in Victoria, Fin Donnelly.
Jodie Wickens secured the nomination to be the BC NDP’s candidate in the riding on Sunday, June 16. Donnelly announced in May he would not run for re-election.
Wickens, who works as the director of programs and services for child and youth programs at a non-profit organization, was previously elected to represent Coquitlam-Burke Mountain in a 2016 by-election, defeating Liberal candidate Joan Isaacs by less than 700 votes.
But she lost the riding to Isaacs by 87 votes in the 2017 general election.
“People in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain need strong pubic services,” said Wickens in a news release.
“Our BC NDP government has been taking action for families, from hiring more family doctors to reducing childcare costs, to building affordable housing. It’s a record to be proud of, and I’m proud to be part of this team again.”
Donnelly was first elected to the riding in 2020 after serving 10 years as an MP for New Westminster-Coquitlam and Port Moody-Coquitlam.
Glumac secures nomination
Meanwhile, the current MLA for Port Moody, Rick Glumac, was officially confirmed Saturday as the BC-NDP’s candidate for the new riding of Port Moody-Burquitlam.
Glumac, a software engineer and computer graphics supervisor for the film industry, was first elected to the Legislature in 2017 and re-elected in 2020.
The Port Moody-Burquitlam riding was created in 2023 as part of a reconfiguration of several district by the BC Electoral Boundaries Commission to add six new seats in the province to balance population growth with representation.
The riding includes Port Moody, Anmore, Belcarra and the Burquitlam neighbourhood of Coquitlam. At 84 sq. km. it is the second largest electoral district in the Tri-Cities, smaller than only the 671 sq. km. covered by Coquitlam-Burke Mountain.
“We heard that Port Moody is closely tied to Burquitlam and therefore propose including Burquitlam in a riding to be called Port Moody-Burquitlam,” said the commission in its final report.
The provincial general election is scheduled for Oct. 19.
We’re thrilled to announce Rick Glumac as our BC NDP representative in Port Moody-Burquitlam. Twice-re-elected as an MLA in 2017 and 2020, Rick Glumac has a long history of fighting for people and local businesses. Welcome, @rickglumacbc! pic.twitter.com/4BSsaKMc8T
— BC NDP (@bcndp) June 15, 2024
