West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country

One of British Columbia's most geographically varied federal ridings, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country stretches from the affluent slopes of West Vancouver across Howe Sound to the Sunshine Coast communities of Gibsons and Sechelt, then north through Squamish and Whistler to Pemberton. The riding also includes Bowen Island, Lions Bay, and parts of the Squamish–Lillooet Regional District.

Candidates

Pam Goldsmith-Jones (Liberal) — The former mayor of West Vancouver from 2005 to 2011, Goldsmith-Jones won the Liberal nomination in June 2014. She brought municipal governance experience from her tenure leading West Vancouver through negotiations on regional transit planning, waterfront development, and environmental stewardship.

John Weston (Conservative) — The two-term incumbent MP, Weston was first elected in 2008 after an unsuccessful bid in 2006. A lawyer who studied international relations at Harvard and law at Osgoode Hall, he founded Pan Pacific Law Corporation and the Canadian Constitution Foundation. In Parliament, he championed National Health and Fitness Day, which received Royal Assent as a private member's bill.

Larry Koopman (NDP) — A Sunshine Coast resident, Koopman had worked as community coordinator for the federal Opportunities Fund, helping people with disabilities access employment training. He also owned a cottage rental business in Gibsons with his wife.

Ken Melamed (Green Party) — A former mayor of Whistler, Melamed served on the resort municipality's council from 1996 and played a key role in negotiations during the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. He was named the Green Party of Canada's finance critic during the campaign.

Robin Kehler (Radical Marijuana) and Carol-Lee Chapman (Marxist-Leninist) also stood as candidates.

About the Riding

The riding's communities span vastly different economic profiles. West Vancouver, with its North Shore mountain backdrop and waterfront estates along Marine Drive, has median household incomes among the highest in Canada and some of the country's most expensive residential real estate. The Sunshine Coast, reachable only by ferry from Horseshoe Bay, retains a more rural and artistic character, with Gibsons and Sechelt serving as service centres for a population that includes retirees, artists, and marine-sector workers. Squamish, once a forestry and mining town at the head of Howe Sound, was experiencing rapid population growth driven by its proximity to Vancouver and a booming outdoor recreation economy built around world-class rock climbing and mountain biking. Whistler, co-host of the 2010 Winter Olympics, sustains a tourism economy that supports thousands of seasonal and permanent jobs. Federal issues in 2015 included oil tanker traffic and pipeline proposals affecting Howe Sound and the Burrard Inlet, ferry service affordability for Sunshine Coast residents, housing costs in Squamish and Whistler driven by recreational demand, and environmental protection of coastal ecosystems.