North Coast

North Coast is a vast riding encompassing the northwest corner of British Columbia, including the port city of Prince Rupert, the city of Terrace, the communities along Highway 16, and Haida Gwaii. NDP incumbent Jennifer Rice had won the seat in 2013 after two-term NDP MLA Gary Coons retired. Rice won decisively in 2013, taking roughly 56 per cent of the vote, and the riding had been held by the NDP for most of the previous three decades. Heading into 2017, the contest drew heightened attention because of the riding's central role in the debate over liquefied natural gas development.

The riding's economy has historically depended on fishing, forestry, and the Port of Prince Rupert, which had undergone a major expansion as a container terminal serving the Asia-Pacific trade route. First Nations communities, including the Tsimshian, Nisga'a, Haisla, and Haida, make up a significant portion of the population, and their perspectives on resource development carried substantial political weight.

Candidates

Jennifer Rice (BC NDP) — Rice moved to Prince Rupert in 2003 to attend Northwest Community College's applied coastal ecology program. Before entering provincial politics, she served as a municipal councillor in Prince Rupert. First elected to the legislature in 2013, she was seeking her second term as the riding's MLA.

Herb Pond (BC Liberal Party) — Pond was a former two-term mayor of Prince Rupert and had worked as community relations manager for BG Canada's Prince Rupert LNG project. He was also a former Lax Kw'alaams band administrator. Pond announced he was separating from his LNG-related position to campaign full-time and notably sought to distance himself from Premier Christy Clark's leadership during the campaign.

Hondo Arendt (BC Green Party) — Arendt was a college professor at Northwest Community College and a veteran Green candidate, having also stood for the party in the 2005 and 2013 provincial elections.

Local Issues

Liquefied natural gas development was the defining issue in North Coast. As many as fourteen LNG proposals were situated along the north coast from Kitimat to Prince Rupert, and the projects represented billions of dollars in potential investment and thousands of construction jobs. The BC Liberals under Christy Clark had staked much of their economic platform on LNG development, while the NDP opposed the Pacific NorthWest LNG proposal in its current design over concerns about nearby salmon habitat and First Nations opposition. The Green Party opposed all LNG terminal construction on the north coast. For residents, the issue cut both ways: the promise of economic development competed with fears about environmental damage to the marine ecosystem that sustains the fishing industry.

The fishing industry itself remained a vital economic and cultural lifeline, particularly for First Nations communities. Declining salmon stocks, marine habitat concerns, and the federal management of fisheries were perennial frustrations, and the potential impact of industrial development on fish-bearing waterways was a source of deep anxiety.

Health care access and the challenges of serving remote communities were ongoing concerns. Prince Rupert's hospital and the limited health services available in smaller communities along Highway 16 and on Haida Gwaii meant residents often faced long journeys for specialist care. The opioid crisis, which had been declared a provincial public health emergency in 2016, was also affecting northern communities, where harm reduction services were limited.