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Valeriote returns to contest the riding but Sturdy isn’t running.
Instead, Valeriote faces two other high-profile candidates — Order of B.C. recipient Yuri Fulmer for the Conservatives and former Union of B.C. Municipalities president Jen Ford for the NDP.
“That region has changed a lot,” McDonald said. “The Sea-to-Sky corridor is a bigger part of the population there than the West Vancouver part, so that one will be very unpredictable and I think that will definitely be one to watch.”
Forecast murky for Independents
McDonald said he also foresees fierce competitions in traditional battlegrounds in Maple Ridge, Coquitlam-Burke Mountain, Courtenay-Comox and Skeena, as well as communities with demographic changes such as Surrey and Richmond.
He isn’t optimistic for the group of former B.C. United incumbents now running as Independents against Conservatives in traditionally centre-right settings.
“I think where the independent candidates will make the biggest impact are in ridings where the NDP have a chance of winning, and a strong Independent may dilute the Conservative vote and help elect an NDP MLA,” McDonald said, citing Vernon-Lumby as an example.
Growing number of ex-B.C. United candidates to run as Independent
B.C. MLA Karin Kirkpatrick re-enters election as an Independent
There, Lumby mayor and former B.C. United candidate Kevin Acton is running as an Independent against incumbent NDP candidate Harwinder Sandhu and the Conservatives’ Dennis Giesbrecht.
Incumbents running as Independents, such as Mike Bernier in Peace River South, Dan Davies in Peace River North, Tom Shypitka in Kootenay-Rockies, Coralee Oakes in Prince George-North Cariboo and Karin Kirkpatrick in West Vancouver-Capilano, will find re-election tough, said McDonald.
“In British Columbia’s history, it’s very hard for an Independent to win an election. It’s only happened a handful of times,” he said.
Source: cbc
