Chilliwack-Kent

Chilliwack-Kent was a newly configured riding for the 2017 election, carved from parts of the former Chilliwack-Hope constituency. The redistribution removed the municipality of Hope and added an area east of Vedder Road between Highway 1 and South Sumas, keeping the riding centred on the City of Chilliwack. In the 2013 election under the old boundaries, BC Liberal Laurie Throness had won the Chilliwack-Hope seat decisively, defeating NDP incumbent Gwen O'Mahony. The Fraser Valley had long been a stronghold for centre-right parties, and heading into 2017 the seat was expected to remain firmly in BC Liberal hands.

Candidates

Laurie Throness (BC Liberal Party) — Throness was the incumbent MLA, first elected in the 2013 general election after an unsuccessful 2012 by-election bid. Before entering politics, he had a lengthy career in federal Conservative circles, serving as a social policy researcher for opposition leaders Preston Manning, Stockwell Day, and Stephen Harper, and later as chief of staff to Minister Chuck Strahl. He held degrees from the University of Waterloo and Queen's University, where he earned a master's in public administration, and had pursued doctoral studies in history at the University of Cambridge.

Patti MacAhonic (BC NDP) — MacAhonic was the executive director of the Ann Davis Transition Society in Chilliwack, an organization serving vulnerable individuals and families. She held an MBA from Royal Roads University and had previously served as executive director of the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce before being let go after announcing her candidacy in the 2013 election. She was an advocate for injured workers and had run against Throness in the previous election cycle.

Josie Bleuer (BC Green Party) — Bleuer was a paid-on-call firefighter with the Chilliwack Fire Department who had also worked in the film industry for over a decade as a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees. A mother of two, she was making her first run for provincial office.

Local Issues

Chilliwack was experiencing significant growth during the 2013-2017 period, with new businesses and manufacturing operations moving into the area. This growth brought associated pressures, including school crowding as classrooms struggled to keep pace with the expanding population. Homelessness was also on the rise in Chilliwack, with more people visible on the streets and growing demand for social services in a community that had historically relied on a smaller network of support organizations.

Housing affordability was becoming an increasing concern as Chilliwack attracted residents priced out of the Metro Vancouver market. The riding's demographics were also shifting, with more immigrants settling in the area and the community becoming more urban in character. At the same time, a significant number of retirees lived in gated communities in the newly added portion of the riding east of Vedder Road, giving the electorate a mix of long-established rural residents and newer suburban arrivals. Provincial issues such as ICBC rate increases and hydro costs resonated with commuters and families throughout the riding.