Coquitlam-Burke Mountain

Coquitlam-Burke Mountain had already seen significant political drama before the 2017 campaign began. The riding was created in 2008 and first won by BC Liberal Douglas Horne in 2009. Horne resigned in August 2015 to run as a federal Conservative candidate, triggering a February 2016 by-election that NDP candidate Jodie Wickens won with 46 per cent of the vote, defeating BC Liberal Joan Isaacs. The by-election was marked by very low turnout, particularly in the Burke Mountain area where Liberal support was strongest. The 2017 general election would be a rematch between Wickens and Isaacs, this time with full voter participation expected.

Candidates

Joan Isaacs (BC Liberal Party) — Isaacs had over three decades of experience in the financial services industry and had lived in Coquitlam for more than 30 years. She had a long history of community involvement in the Tri-Cities, working with organizations focused on housing and homelessness, mental health, youth and families, and restorative justice.

Jodie Wickens (BC NDP) — Wickens was the incumbent MLA, elected in the 2016 by-election as the youngest woman MLA in the legislature at the time. Before entering politics, she had served as executive director of the Autism Support Network and held leadership roles with non-profit organizations delivering health and social services, including SHARE Family and Community Services Society in the Tri-Cities. She had lived in Coquitlam for over 20 years.

Ian Donnelly Soutar (BC Green Party) — Soutar ran as the Green Party candidate in the riding.

Local Issues

Transit was a dominant concern in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain. While the Evergreen Extension of the SkyTrain had opened in late 2016, connecting the Tri-Cities to the broader rapid transit network, residents on Burke Mountain and in the riding's more suburban areas complained about inadequate bus service to connect them to the new stations. The gap between the rapid transit infrastructure and the last-mile connections left many commuters still dependent on cars.

School capacity was another pressing issue. Burke Mountain was one of the fastest-growing neighbourhoods in the region, with large-scale residential development underway, but new school construction had not kept pace. Families in the area faced overcrowded classrooms and long waitlists. A new school and recreation centre were planned but had not yet been built.

Housing affordability was also a central campaign issue, as the Tri-Cities were experiencing rapid price escalation driven by spillover demand from the Vancouver market. Young families who had moved to Burke Mountain seeking relatively affordable housing were finding that rising prices and stagnant wages were making even suburban homeownership increasingly difficult.