North Delta

Liberal Candidate: Scott Hamilton

Scott Hamilton has been the Liberal MLA for North Delta since 2013. He is also a member of the Select Standing Committees on Finance, the Cabinet Committee on Strong Economy, and the Select Standing Committees on Aboriginal Affairs and Legislative Initiatives. Before getting involved in politics, he was on the Delta City Council for over a decade, working on issues such as agricultural and recreational development and guide and service dog legislation. Hamilton also had a lasting career in information technology, has spent over 30 years in the riding he represents, and is father to two daughters. Now, he’s running for re-election.

Hamilton could not be reached for an interview in time for the publication of this article.

NDP Candidate: Ravi Kahlon

As a father and ex-field hockey and soccer coach, Ravi Kahlon places importance on the quality of education in the North Delta area. For that reason, his campaign team is largely made up of young people, concerned about issues like the environment and student debt.

“I think about what the future is going to be for my child,” he says. “[My goal is to] ensure that other young people that come through get the same opportunities, if not better opportunities, than [he] did.”

Besides education, Kahlon says that “the number one issue on the doorstep is affordability.”

“I’m hoping that, if we form government, we address the ICBC question, which we’ve already put on our platform … [and] freeze hydro rates,” says Kahlon. “We already announced a $1000 credit for students at university and [plan to] eliminate interest on student loans.”

Green Candidate: Jacquie Miller

Jacquie Miller is an environmentalist with a degree in political science. She identifies with the party because she didn’t relate to the goals of the Liberals or NDP, and feels that “now is a really exciting and important time to take a stand.”

“People may not have taken the Greens seriously before … but Andrew [Weaver] is so serious, and there’s nothing that he doesn’t think through,” she says.

Miller wants to represent her riding because the community in North Delta helped her get back on her feet when she was struggling.

““I really want to be able to reinvest that care I received back into the community. I want to be able to help shape provincial policy for those growing up in North Delta today so that they can achieve successful futures in a province that’s on the right track, so that they can have jobs that are meaningful to them,” she says. “I want to fight for what I see as the true public interest, and I don’t think that Site C should be built. I don’t feel that the Kinder Morgan Expansion Project should be built, and big money shouldn’t be determining these things.”

Surrey-Newton

Liberal Candidate: Gurminder Parihar

Gurminder Parihar is an accountant, business owner, and volunteer in the riding, and is an expert on areas such as tax planning, public engagement, business consultation, and general accounting.

“I care deeply about this community and I am determined to represent the hopes, dreams, and priorities of Surrey-Newton residents in Victoria. As one of B.C.’s fastest-growing communities, we need a strong and effective MLA who can ensure we see job creation, new opportunities, and continued investments in health care, schools, and housing affordability,” writes Parihar, on his B.C. Liberals web page.

If elected, he would be the first turbaned Sikh to be elected to the B.C. Legislature. Premier Christy Clark has endorsed the election of Parihar, and Parihar has thanked her for her “confidence in [him],” as written in a CBC article published on April 23.

Parihar could not be reached for an interview before the publication of this article.

NDP Candidate: Harry Bains

Harry Bains’s priority is stopping government subsidies and favouritism of the elite 2 per cent.

“When I noticed that those working for their living have to pay more so that the government can subsidize the people at the top and their donors, I knew that it was wrong and that we had to get in there” he says.

Bains is determined to change the state of student debt, crime, health care, education, and transit in Surrey-Newton. Repairing the operations of Surrey Memorial Hospital, getting students out of portables at school and into real classrooms, and increasing the per capita rate of post-secondary students is crucial to the area’s success, according to Bains.

“I think [Surrey-Newton’s next MLA] has to be a person who actually cares about those issues—who is an activist, not just a politician, and I’ve been an activist all my life to protect worker’s rights, protect human rights, promote human rights,” he says.”

Greens Candidate: Richard Krieger

Richard Krieger writes on his B.C. Greens web page that he is running because he believes “Surrey-Newton needs a fresh perspective to deal with their unique problems.”

“As a person who has achieved much with hard work and creative insights, I feel I can work well with the diverse groups that make up this unique riding. I am pleased and honoured to be the candidate for the B.C. Green Party in the riding of Surrey-Newton, and look forward to serving its citizens as their next MLA,”

Krieger could not be reached for an interview before the publication of this article.

Independant Candidate: Balpreet Bal

Balpreet Bal, an independent MLA candidate, wants to “bring the community’s voice to the assembly instead of just pushing a party’s objective.”

“Here in Newton, we’ve been at a standstill for a long time,” he says. “Especially now that our generation is getting more involved in the political side, we are realizing that all these issues exist, so the need for change for having a safe future here is more than it ever was.”

Bal and his team are Surrey locals that have been going to school and working in the city for their entire lives. Kal has been in construction since he was 12 years old, starting his first business at 17 and joining the real estate market at 19.

“We have a small business here, so we see a lot of these things first hand,” he says. “I think that knowledge gives us a bit of an edge on proposing things we can facilitate like, say, rec. centres or public infrastructure.”