Delta

Delta occupies 180 square kilometres of flat, fertile land at the mouth of the Fraser River in Metro Vancouver, bordered by the river to the north, the United States border and Boundary Bay to the south, the City of Surrey to the east, and the Strait of Georgia to the west. The riding encompasses three distinct communities: North Delta, a largely suburban area that is home to more than half the riding’s population; Ladner, a heritage fishing village along the Fraser River that serves as the municipal seat and agricultural hub; and Tsawwassen, a beachside community adjacent to the BC Ferries terminal and the US border crossing at Point Roberts. Burns Bog, one of the largest undeveloped urban peat bogs in North America, lies within the riding’s boundaries.

Candidates

Jill McKnight (Liberal) is a businesswoman and community leader who was born and raised in Delta. For 28 years, she and her family operated South Coast Casuals, a clothing boutique in Ladner, and she was involved with the Ladner Village Market for more than 20 years. McKnight served as executive director of the Delta Chamber of Commerce and holds a Bachelor of Commerce in entrepreneurial business from the University of Victoria.

Jessy Sahota (Conservative) is a law enforcement officer with the Delta Police Department. In 2022, he was recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police as one of the world’s top 40 police officers under 40, and he received a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award in 2023. A three-time Canadian national champion in wrestling who has won three gold medals at the World Police and Fire Games, Sahota founded the DPD Wrestling Club and has volunteered extensively with Yo Bro | Yo Girl Youth Initiative, an outreach program for at-risk youth.

Jason McCormick (NDP) is a TransLink bus driver who has lived in Ladner since 2009 with his wife and three children. A public transit advocate for over 15 years and a cycling community leader for more than 20 years, McCormick helped design, build, and maintain the Holly Park Pump Track in Ladner and grew the South Delta Basketball Association to more than 400 youth participants.

Natasa Sirotic (People’s Party) ran on a platform focused on reducing government spending and protecting individual freedoms.

About the Riding

Delta’s economy is shaped by agriculture, transportation infrastructure, and its position as a gateway to the Pacific. The municipality contains some of the most productive farmland in British Columbia, with Westham Island and the lowlands around Ladner supporting berry farms, greenhouses, and roadside farmstands. The Agricultural Land Reserve protects much of this land from development, though pressure to convert farmland to housing and commercial use has been a recurring tension.

Tsawwassen is home to the BC Ferries terminal connecting the Lower Mainland to Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands, as well as the Tsawwassen First Nation, whose treaty lands include the Tsawwassen Mills shopping centre and a major container port expansion at Roberts Bank. The Deltaport container terminal at Roberts Bank is one of Canada’s busiest, handling a significant share of the country’s Asia-Pacific trade. Proposed expansions to the terminal have generated debate over environmental impacts on the Fraser River estuary and migratory bird habitat.

In 2025, transportation infrastructure was a central issue, with residents concerned about traffic congestion on the George Massey Tunnel corridor and the provincial government’s plans for a replacement crossing. Housing affordability pressures from Metro Vancouver continued to push into Delta’s historically more affordable communities. The riding’s proximity to the US border and its trade-dependent port infrastructure made it sensitive to the tariff tensions that dominated the national campaign.