To no surprise, the provincial NDP have again nominated Bob D’Eith as their candidate for Maple Ridge East.
He will carry the party banner into the provincial election scheduled for Oct.19, in the riding formerly known as Maple Ridge-Mission.
The BC United, Greens and other parties have yet to announce their candidates for the riding.
D’Eith was first elected in 2017, when he unseated Liberal incumbent Marc Dalton, as the NDP campaigned on a promise to get rid of Bridge tolls in the region. He had worked as an entertainment lawyer, musician, and author.
He defended the riding in the 2020 election, challenged by Liberal Chelsa Meadus and the Green Party’s Matt Trenholm.
READ ALSO: NDP’s Bob D’Eith front-runner for Maple Ridge-Mission
D’Eith has served as parliamentary secretary for arts and film, and as chair of the Select Standing Committee for Finance and Government Services.
“Mission and Maple Ridge are two of the fastest growing municipalities in B.C., and people here are facing big challenges,” D’Eith said. “There is much work to do in our cities, such as the Mission Waterfront Project, completion of the proposed Maple Ridge Rapid Transit system, and the expansion of healthcare and education services.”
In November of last year, TransLink announced it would be building a bus rapid transit line between Maple Ridge and Langley.
READ ALSO: City of Maple Ridge lobbied for new BRT service
After his candidacy was announced, D’Eith highlighted some of the work the NDP has done since 2017, listing:
• Creating the Ridge-Meadows Urgent and Primary Care Centre at Haney Place Mall.
• Hiring new doctors and nurses, and licensing internationally-trained health professionals to work in the region.
• Funding a CT scanner for Mission Memorial Hospital.
• Building the Boswyk Seniors Housing in Mission and securing funding for new seniors housing on Royal Crescent in Maple Ridge.
• “Tackling housing prices” by taking on real estate speculators and building more homes.
• Improving infrastructure by completing the upgrading Highway 7 to four lanes between Maple Ridge and Mission.
He also listed new schools to replace Mission Senior Secondary School and Eric Langton Elementary in Maple Ridge. Ground has yet to be broken on either project.
“Bob D’Eith is dedicated to Mission and Maple Ridge and helping to improve life for people living here,” said Premier David Eby. “He’s built incredible relationships with both city councils, school boards, community and seniors’ networks, businesses and more. That’s why he’s such a great champion of the priorities that matter Mission and Maple Ridge residents.”