Three Greens leave Fraser Valley races, several independents start campaigns

For more on the election in the Fraser Valley, including a full list of candidates and where to vote, check out our local election hubs.

Chilliwack and the Eastern Fraser Valley | Abbotsford and Mission | Langley

Three BC Green candidates who had hoped to run in the Fraser Valley won't be standing for election this fall. But many local voters will have one or more independent candidates to consider at the ballot box.

The BC Greens had previously indicated they were planning to run Aaron Bayes in the Abbotsford-Mission riding, Parker Johnson in Abbotsford South, and Molly McKay (the party’s executive director) in the Chilliwack-Cultus Lake riding. But with the deadline for candidates to submit their required paperwork having passed, none will feature on ballots come Oct. 19.

The lack of Green candidates in the three ridings could give a boost to the NDP’s hopes. But at least in Abbotsford-Mission, the Greens didn’t yank their candidates to help defeat the BC Conservatives. Rather, Bayes’ campaign manager said they were unable to get enough signatures from locals.

Additional independent candidates also emerged throughout the Fraser Valley as the deadline for nominations passed. They include one-time BC Conservative candidate Shelly Jan, in Langley-Abbotsford; James Davison, the founder of an anti-vaccine group, in Abbotsford West; parental rights activist Amandeep Singh in Abbotsford South; and Carlos Suarez Rubio, who had originally aspired to represent the Conservatives, in Langley-Walnut Grove.

The most-crowded ballot will be in the new riding of Langley-Abbotsford, where five candidates are competing for a shot at the MLA seat. There is no incumbent in the Langley-Abbotsford riding, which was created when the Electoral Boundaries Commission readjusted boundaries in Langley to reflect growth in the community. Former Liberal MP John Aldag, who is now running with the BC NDP, will run against BC Conservative Harman Banghu. Also in the race are BC Green candidate Melissa Snazell and two independents—Karen Long, who had previously been slated to run for BC United, and Shelly Jan.

The race in Langley-Abbotsford has already become heated, with the BC NDP asking Conservative leader John Rustad to drop Banghu because he espoused “anti-democratic” beliefs that the American 2020 elections was stolen from Donald Trump.

In contrast to Langley-Abbotsford, two local ridings will have head-to-head battles between just two candidates—a rarity in Canadian provincial or federal races. In Abbotsford-Mission, NDP incumbent and Minister of Agriculture Pam Alexis will battle BC Conservative Reann Gasper for votes. In Chilliwack-Cultus Lake, Stó:lō filmmaker and administrator Á’a:líya Warbus is campaigning to unseat NDP incumbent Kelli Paddon.

The full candidate lists can be found on our election hubs for Langley, Abbotsford and Mission, and Chilliwack and beyond.

This week has also seen the launch of official platforms for each of the three major parties. Links to each party’s platform can be found in our general election hub.