The effort to recall Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Marc Dalton starts today, after Elections B.C. approved the campaign.
From that date, people in the campaign will have 60 days to collect 15,410 signatures supporting Dalton’s recall and triggering a byelection, said chief electoral officer Keith Archer.
The names have to get back to Elections B.C. by June 15.
Mission resident and teacher Yvonne Hale launched the campaign in February. It’s the second time Dalton has faced recall. The first attempt at recall was in 2011 by the Maple Ridge Fight HST group collecting about 2,500 signatures, short of the number required to start the recall process.
Hale had to provide a statement to Elections B.C. about why she thought Dalton should be recalled.
“I do not believe that former B.C. Liberal Mr. Dalton works to represent his constituents and his recent announcement to sit as an independent while he runs for nomination as Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party bears this out,” she said.
“It is my feeling that Mr. Dalton has turned his back on his constituents, while seeking to achieve his own self-interest and agenda of gaining a federal position,” Hale added.
“He should also spend his time working for his constituents instead of for his career as a politician. We have many issues that he does not seem to bother to tackle.”
Dalton, who’s sitting as an independent while he seeks the federal Conservative nomination for Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge, says he’s focusing on his job as MLA.