West Vancouver-Sea to Sky

West Vancouver-Sea to Sky is a geographically expansive riding stretching from the western portion of West Vancouver through the communities lining Howe Sound—Lions Bay, Furry Creek, and Britannia Beach—up the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Squamish, Whistler, and Pemberton, and further north to the communities of Mount Currie and D'Arcy. The riding includes Bowen Island in Howe Sound. BC Liberal MLA Jordan Sturdy, a former mayor of Pemberton and farmer, had held the seat since 2013. The diverse geography meant the riding's concerns spanned urban, suburban, resort, agricultural, and rural communities, with the economies of tourism, outdoor recreation, agriculture, and resource extraction all playing significant roles.

Candidates

Jordan Sturdy (BC Liberal Party) — Sturdy grew up in Vancouver and moved to Pemberton in 1989, where he and his wife established North Arm Farm. He served as mayor of Pemberton for eight years and held positions on the Squamish Lillooet Regional District board, the Fraser Basin Council, and the BC Association of Farmers' Markets.

Dana Moore Taylor (BC Green Party) — Taylor was a former two-term city councillor in North Vancouver who served as executive vice-president of the Mechanical Contractors Association of BC. He founded the first Green Chamber of Commerce in Canada and had been a resident of West Vancouver for thirty years. He was nominated in March 2017.

Michelle Livaja (BC NDP) — Livaja was a Capilano University communications student and former BC Nurses' Union employee who lived on Bowen Island. She was a member of the Movement of United Professionals, a delegate to the Vancouver District Labour Council, and a volunteer with the Metro Vancouver Alliance.

Michael Cambridge ran for the Libertarian Party, and Tristan Andrew Galbraith ran as an Independent.

Local Issues

The proposed Woodfibre LNG plant was the most contentious issue in the riding during the 2013–2017 term. The project, proposed for a site seven kilometres southwest of Squamish on the northwestern shoreline of Howe Sound, would involve the construction of a natural gas liquefaction and export facility. While the BC Liberal government and Sturdy supported the project as an economic development opportunity, environmental groups and many Squamish residents opposed it, citing concerns about the industrialization of Howe Sound, which had been recovering ecologically after decades of mining and pulp mill activity. The National Energy Board had approved a 40-year export license for the project in April 2017, intensifying the debate heading into the election.

Transportation safety and capacity along the Sea-to-Sky Highway remained a perennial concern. Although the highway was upgraded before the 2010 Winter Olympics, growing traffic volumes from Whistler tourism, Squamish commuters working in Vancouver, and increased development in the corridor raised concerns about safety and travel times. Residents in Squamish and Whistler also called for improved public transit options connecting their communities to the Lower Mainland.

Housing affordability had become a pressing issue across the corridor. Whistler faced a chronic worker housing shortage, with resort and service industry employees unable to find affordable accommodation in the community where they worked. Squamish, once a resource town, was rapidly transforming into a commuter suburb of Vancouver, driving up housing costs and changing the character of the community. The provincial government's role in supporting affordable housing in resort and high-growth communities was a key campaign topic.