Burnaby-New Westminster

Burnaby-New Westminster bridges two municipalities, taking in southern Burnaby neighbourhoods and portions of New Westminster, British Columbia's former colonial capital, which sits on the north bank of the Fraser River. The riding encompasses the Edmonds Town Centre, residential areas along Kingsway and Canada Way, and parts of New Westminster's historic Sapperton neighbourhood near Royal Columbian Hospital. The demographics skew toward working-class and middle-income households with strong immigrant representation, and the area's mix of older single-family homes and apartment buildings reflects decades of incremental densification along transit corridors.

Raj Chouhan had represented the predecessor riding of Burnaby-Edmonds since 2005, winning five consecutive elections. He was elected Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in 2020, becoming the first South Asian person to hold that office in British Columbia. The Speaker traditionally runs for re-election but stands above partisan combat, and Chouhan's deep roots in the riding gave him a substantial personal vote.

Candidates

Raj Chouhan (BC NDP) — Chouhan arrived in Canada from India in 1973 and settled in Burnaby, where he became a leading voice for immigrant workers' rights. He co-founded the Canadian Farmworkers' Union to advocate for agricultural labourers and went on to spend eighteen years as a director with the Hospital Employees' Union. He also served on the Labour Relations Board of British Columbia. First elected to the legislature in 2005, he was acclaimed as the 40th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in 2020, the first person of South Asian heritage to hold the position.

Deepak Suri (Conservative Party) — Suri holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Delhi. He began his career in the finance industry in Kuwait before moving to the automotive sector and immigrating to Canada in 1999. He has been involved in the media industry as a radio host and co-owner of a radio station. He and his wife own three Indian cuisine restaurants in Burnaby and Vancouver.

Daniel Kofi Ampong ran as an Independent, receiving a minor share of the vote.

Local Issues

Royal Columbian Hospital, located in the Sapperton neighbourhood within the riding's boundaries, was in the midst of a massive redevelopment that was reshaping healthcare delivery across the Fraser Health region. The $1.49-billion project to rebuild and expand the hospital — one of British Columbia's busiest trauma centres — had been announced in phases under the NDP government, with construction of a new acute care tower underway during the inter-election period. The hospital served patients from across the eastern Fraser Valley and Fraser Canyon, and its emergency department regularly operated at or above capacity. Residents in the riding lived with the construction disruption but also anticipated the benefits of an expanded facility.

Housing affordability was acute in a riding where older rental stock was being demolished for redevelopment. New Westminster and southern Burnaby had seen a wave of rezoning applications that replaced low-rise apartments with tower developments, and tenant displacement was a persistent concern. The NDP government's Rental Protection Fund, established to help non-profit organizations purchase existing rental buildings and preserve affordable housing, was one policy response, but the scale of the challenge outpaced the program's resources. Rents in Burnaby and New Westminster climbed steadily throughout the term, and residents on fixed incomes — including many seniors in the riding — struggled to find housing within their means.

The opioid and toxic drug crisis was a daily reality along the riding's commercial corridors. Overdose deaths in British Columbia reached record levels during the inter-election period, and the province's drug decriminalization pilot drew both support and opposition from residents. The NDP government's harm-reduction approach — which included supervised consumption sites, naloxone distribution, and the safe supply program — was defended by the incumbent but challenged by Conservative candidates who argued that enforcement and mandatory treatment should be prioritized.

Transit access and the cost of commuting shaped household decisions in a riding where many workers travelled to downtown Vancouver or other employment centres. The Edmonds SkyTrain station and bus connections along Kingsway provided the riding's primary transit links, and service frequency and reliability were constant concerns. The NDP government's commitment to expanding transit and introducing transit-oriented development around stations had implications for the riding's built form, with density requirements promising more housing near transit but also generating anxiety about neighbourhood change among long-time residents.