The Tri-Cities has two new MLAs.
Tonight, Oct. 19, Elections BC declared voters in Coquitlam–Burke Mountain and Coquitlam–Maillardville elected the NDP’s Jodie Wickens and Jennifer Blatherwick as the winners in the initial count of the 2024 B.C. election.
The final count is on Saturday, Oct. 26.
With incumbent NDP MLAs Mike Farnworth (Port Coquitlam), Rick Glumac (Port Moody–Coquitlam) and Jennifer Whiteside (New Westminster–Coquitlam) re-elected for four more years, the Tri-Cities’ five seats will stay orange.
“It’s been nerve wracking to watch the results around the province, but I’m happy to have won in Port Coquitlam,” Farnworth told the Tri-City News.
“I am grateful to the voters of Port Coquitlam for electing me for the eighth time.”
The Solicitor General and deputy premier under the previous government, Farnworth said his party knew to expect a tight split as polls had shown a three-point spread between the NDP and Conservatives under John Rustad — a party Farnworth claimed is “riding on the coattails” of the federal Tories.
During the 28-day race, Premier David Eby was in the Tri-Cities several times, including on the first and last day of the campaign, to announce funding pledges and, specifically, to bolster Wickens’ bid in Coquitlam–Burke Mountain.
In 2017, Wickens lost her MLA seat by 87 votes. For this round, she won by 268 votes over the BC Conservatives' Stephen Frolek — a neck-and-neck race that went into the late hours.
Under B.C.'s Election Act, an application for a judicial recount must be made by the district electoral officer if the difference between the top two candidates is less than 1/500 or 0.2 per cent of the total ballots considered.
Byelection
Meanwhile, Blatherwick’s victory in Coquitlam–Maillardville will prompt a byelection for the School District 43 (SD43) trustee who represents Coquitlam.
She characterized the campaign as “months of hard work […] in an area that’s full of people who genuinely care about family, the quality of healthcare and making the province better for everybody.”
“I’m very lucky to have the support of my family and friends,” she said, noting her letter of resignation to the board of education will be tendered before the next school board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
As for BC Conservative candidate Keenan Adams (Port Coquitlam), a rail engineer and union representative who was forced to change from BC United to BC Conservatives when Kevin Falcon pulled the party plug a month before the vote, he said he led a grass-roots campaign aided by young people.
His plan, if elected, was to move the MLA’s office to downtown Port Coquitlam for constituent ease “and not have it on the edge of town.”
“It’s been a great experience, very positive,” he said of the campaign. “I just want to help and serve the people.”
BC Green candidate Adam Bremner-Akins (Port Coquitlam), who is the party’s secretary, said although leader Sonia Furstenau failed to retain a seat in Victoria–Beacon Hill, he’s pleased with the party gains in the Lower Mainland.
“It’s a new era for the Greens,” he said, noting members will build on the momentum with Furstenau.
Independent candidate Ken Holowanky (Coquitlam–Maillardville) also described his campaign as “very positive” as he sought at least 500 votes.
“I only got three doors slammed in my face out of 400 […] Next time, I think I’d start earlier because I heard so many people at the door wanting to talk about change. I think the results of the election mirror the frustration that I heard on the doorstep.”
The vote
Results, as Sunday at 10 a.m.: (asterisk denotes winner)
Coquitlam–Burke Mountain
- Stephen Frolek, BC Conservatives
- 10,324
- *Jodie Wickens, BC NDP
- 10,592
- 13 of 13 ballot boxes reporting
- 10,592
Coquitlam–Maillardville
- *Jennifer Blatherwick, BC NDP
- 11,569
- Ken Holowanky, Independent
- 520
- Hamed Najafi, BC Conservatives
- 8,939
- Nicola Spurling, BC Greens
- 1,411
- 17 of 17 ballot boxes reporting
- 1,411
New Westminster–Coquitlam
- Maureen Curran, BC Greens
- 2,292
- Ndellie Massey, BC Conservatives
- 6,225
- *Jennifer Whiteside, BC NDP
- 12,214
- 14 of 14 ballot boxes reporting
- 12,214
Port Coquitlam
- Keenan Adams, BC Conservatives
- 9,735
- Adam Bremner-Akins, BC Greens
- 1,604
- Lewis Dahlby, Libertarian
- 240
- *Mike Farnworth, BC NDP
- 13,381
- 18 of 18 ballot boxes reporting
- 13,381
Port Moody–Burquitlam
- Samantha Agtarap, BC Greens
- 1,857
- *Rick Glumac, BC NDP
- 12,871
- Kerry van Aswegen, BC Conservatives
- 10,143
- 19 of 19 ballot boxes reporting
- 10,143
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