Skeena

The Skeena riding encompasses a vast stretch of northwestern British Columbia, centred on the communities of Terrace and Kitimat and extending through the surrounding rural and First Nations territories. The riding had been an NDP stronghold for much of the previous three decades, with the party winning the seat in most elections over that period. Three-term NDP MLA Robin Austin announced he would not seek re-election in 2017, creating an open seat after twelve years of his representation. Austin's retirement, combined with the candidacy of prominent Haisla Nation leader Ellis Ross for the BC Liberals, made Skeena one of the most closely watched races in northern BC.

The riding's economy was dominated by resource industries — forestry, mining, aluminum smelting at the Rio Tinto Alcan facility in Kitimat, and the prospect of liquefied natural gas development that had been a centrepiece of Premier Christy Clark's economic agenda.

Candidates

Ellis Ross (BC Liberal Party) — Ross was born in Kitimat and grew up on the Haisla Nation reserve in Kitamaat Village. He worked as a water-taxi driver before the Haisla Nation Council asked him to become their first full-time councillor in 2003. He served eight years as councillor before being elected Chief Councillor of the Haisla Nation in 2011, winning re-election by acclamation in 2013. Ross gained a province-wide profile through his opposition to the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline while simultaneously championing LNG development, signing a fifty-million-dollar agreement with Kitimat LNG in 2006. He resigned his Chief Councillor position to enter provincial politics after LNG projects stalled.

Bruce Bidgood (BC NDP) — Bidgood was a social work professor at the University of Northern British Columbia's Terrace campus. A former two-term Terrace City Councillor, he also served as chair of the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine. He won the NDP nomination after defeating three other contenders.

Merv Ritchie (Land Air Water — The L.A.W.) — Ritchie was the founder, leader, and sole candidate of the Land, Air, Water Party, which he established in 2015 with the assistance of Tahltan elders. A former editor and publisher of the Terrace Daily online news site, Ritchie focused his campaign on environmental protection and Indigenous rights.

Local Issues

LNG development was the defining issue in the Skeena riding heading into the 2017 election. Premier Clark had made BC a prospective LNG export hub a centrepiece of her government's economic strategy, and Kitimat was a leading candidate location for export terminals. However, by 2017, no major LNG project in northwest BC had secured a final investment decision, and the promised economic windfall remained unrealized. Ellis Ross's candidacy was significant because he offered a prominent Indigenous voice in favour of responsible resource development, arguing that economic participation in projects like LNG was essential for First Nations prosperity.

The forestry sector was in crisis across the northwest, with mill closures and layoffs affecting communities throughout the riding. Thousands of forestry workers across the region had been laid off or idled, creating economic anxiety in communities that had long depended on timber harvesting and processing. The decline of forestry made the promise of LNG development all the more tantalizing — and the failure to deliver on that promise all the more frustrating.

Transportation infrastructure and bus service along Highway 16 were also pressing concerns. The highway, sometimes referred to as the Highway of Tears due to the disappearances and murders of women along its length, lacked regular public transit connecting communities between Prince Rupert and Prince George. Residents and advocacy groups had long called for intercity bus service as both a safety measure and an economic necessity. Wanda Good, the BC Liberal candidate in neighbouring Stikine, was among those advocating for improved bus service in the region, and the issue crossed riding boundaries in its significance to northwest BC.