'Nail-biter' result predicted in Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge as voters weigh international, hyper-local issues
Social Sharing
Poll trackers show more than a half-dozen ridings in B.C. too close to call as voting day nears on April 28, with voters in places like the Fraser Valley saying their decision hinges on who can be the best local representative, but also part of a government that can best defend Canada.
"It's going to be very close. I think it's going to be a nail-biter, actually," said James Dupont, a Maple Ridge resident. "I'm on the edge with the Liberals, but you know, I want something that works … I'm thinking Conservative."
The urban and rural riding of Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge, with around 100,000 residents, has had both a Liberal and Conservative member of Parliament, and residents are carefully mulling their choice again this election.
WATCH | What voters are considering in Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge:
A close race in Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge has voters carefully considering their choices
2 days ago
Duration 1:05
Some voters in the riding of Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge say they expect the race to be close between the Conservative incumbent Marc Dalton and the Liberal challenger Angie Rowell. Chad Pawson visited the community and spoke with voters about the issues important to them and how they may cast their ballots.
Constituents like Dupont say that with the area's population quickly increasing, affordable housing, access to health care, and public safety are all election issues in tandem with the economic and sovereignty threat posed by the U.S. administration under Donald Trump.
One of the biggest issues in Pitt Meadows is a long-promised, but yet-to-be-delivered overpass for a train yard in the middle of town that would remedy the often long traffic delays.
"It's not just a train going through, but it's backing up, it's stalling, sitting still, it's grabbing more cars. It's just sometimes the lineup there is insane," said Rob McCoy, who moved to Pitt Meadows from New Westminster six years ago for more affordable housing.
The local chamber of commerce said it has 550 members and is growing, but businesses need strong politicians to advocate for their needs, such as commercial space and a strong federal response to the U.S. tariff threat amid high interest rates, inflation and a tough labour market.
"Five years ago, we were in a pandemic, and I feel like businesses are just starting to get back on their feet," said Kristi Maier, the CEO of the Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce.
"And here we are hit with another problem that businesses have to deal with. It's a lot for businesses to be able to handle."
Ground game critical, candidates say
Polling aggregators like 338Canada predict Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge will be a toss-up between the Conservatives and Liberals, where incumbent Marc Dalton is trying to win for the third straight election over banker Angie Rowell.
The NDP's Daniel Heydenrych is trying to convince voters that his party deserves to have parliamentarians in Ottawa to work collaboratively with other parties over the country's most pressing issues.
The seat is also being contested by Chris Lehner with the People's Party of Canada and Peter Buddle with the Rhinoceros Party.
Candidates like Rowell say the race will come down to who best connects — in person — with voters in the riding through door knocking and phone calls.
"And so I'm understanding, I think the … more of the emotional side of politics and for candidates and voters to feel they have a connection to the person they are voting for," said Rowell.
Dalton and Heydenrych did not respond to inquiries from CBC News about their campaigns.
in the 44th Parliament, the Conservatives 14, the NDP 13 and the Greens one.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ottawa Citizen
23 minutes ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Raises, retention bonuses promised for Canadian Forces personnel
Article content Pay increases for military personnel as well as retention bonuses and increased training allowances for particular Canadian Forces members are to be part of the government's spending boost for defence. Article content In addition, it is expected that around 1,400 new staff will be hired at the Department of National Defence. Article content Article content The initiatives were outlined Monday during a technical briefing that followed Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement that defence spending was being significantly increased. The Liberal government noted that it was pumping in more funding so Canada will meet the NATO spending target of two per cent of GDP by the end of this fiscal year. Article content Article content Carney repeated his election promises to purchase new submarines and other equipment as well as improve military housing and benefits. Article content 'Members of our armed forces will get a well deserved salary increase, which will contribute to better recruitment and retention of personnel,' said Carney. Article content But defence officials at the technical briefing had few answers. Article content They did point out that not only will there be pay increases but in some cases boosts in training allowances and retention bonuses for key military personnel. They did not have information on what specific Canadian Forces jobs or trades would be eligible for bonuses. Article content More health-care workers will be hired for the Canadian Forces and the civilian workforce will be expanded so military personnel can focus on operations, government officials said at the technical briefing. Under government-imposed rules, the officials who provided the briefing cannot be identified. Article content Article content In January, the Ottawa Citizen reported that military staff were recommending retention bonuses to keep key personnel from leaving the ranks. But there were questions at the time about whether the government would fund such a plan. Article content Article content Although the Canadian Forces doesn't currently have retention bonuses, the military does offer various extra pay or allowances for those in particular jobs or handling specific duties, the Department of National Defence has noted. In addition, the military does provide extra payment to recruit individuals with particular skills. Article content Various western militaries, facing personnel shortages, have been using retention bonuses to entice individuals to continue to stay in the ranks. Article content On Nov. 22, 2024, the British government announced bonuses equivalent to $54,000 for aircraft engineers who sign up for an additional three years of military service. Privates and lance corporals who have already served four years would be eligible for a new retention bonus, which is the equivalent of $14,000.
Global News
8 hours ago
- Global News
B.C. government takes heat over marked growth in public payroll
B.C.'s NDP government is defending itself in the wake of new reports detailing the dramatic increase in public sector employees and the cost of payroll. The province is in the midst of a staffing shortage across key public sectors – currently short more than 1,000 teachers and six times as many nurses. But while critical positions go unfilled, the size of the public sector continues to grow, with British Columbia leading the country in the growth of taxpayer-funded jobs. 'It's gone from $5 billion worth of people (earning) over $75,000 to now $11.5 billion, so it's more than doubled,' BC Conservative finance critic Peter Milobar said. 'This government has a real problem when it comes to hiring, reining in costs and bringing things under control, and that leads to our structural deficit of over $12 billion.' Story continues below advertisement 1:57 B.C. database shows public sector salaries Critics say the size of government has increased across the board under the NDP's watch. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In 2017, there were just over 29,000 public servants. That number has increased to nearly 39,000, jumping 32 per cent over eight years. While the public sector is growing, private sector job growth is half of its historical average. The B.C. General Employees Union acknowledges the unionized workforce has grown, but says the real issue is the growth of non-union positions, and that management has increased at a pace nearly double that of union members. It's a claim that is echoed in health care, where the B.C. Nurses' Union says health authorities are top-heavy. 'Anecdotally, that's how it appears,' BCNU president Adrianne Gear said. 'From my members' perspective, it does seem like there is a lot of senior management leadership. Story continues below advertisement 'At any given time, we are almost 6,000 nurses short, that's how many vacancies we have, and when we move to full implementation of nurse-patient ratios … we are going to need many, many more nurses.' 1:20 How much could a new B.C. public sector contract cost taxpayers? The B.C. government has committed to hiring more front-line workers in health care, education and other critical occupations. But competition worldwide is intense. B.C. Premier David Eby said much of the growth is related to tackling that competition. 'They are doctors, they are nurses, they are teachers, they are people who provide vital services in our province. It is why we are leading Canada in recruiting family doctors and why we are on track to ensuring every British Columbian gets access to a family doctor. Ensuring we are competitive in wages for those doctors, ensuring we are competitive in wages for nurses, that we are the best place for a nurse to work in Canada,' Eby said. Story continues below advertisement 'It is how we are getting a handle on the big challenges we've faced in terms of closures at hospitals or shortages of nurses that are raising concerns among the profession here.' However, he admitted he was 'very concerned' about the growth in health care administration costs. He said the province is currently doing an 'extensive review' of B.C. health authorities to minimize those administrative costs. A renewed focus on B.C. resource economy, meanwhile, could bring an increase in private sector job creation. The business community is optimistic that the government is sending the right signals, but says it is waiting for the needed follow-through.
Vancouver Sun
9 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Liberals considering arming the Coast Guard amid significant pivot towards new security mandate
OTTAWA — The Liberal government is mulling arming the Canadian Coast Guard as it launches a significant reform of the civilian maritime agency to give it a bigger role in the country's security apparatus. The move is one of many significant changes that the Liberals are planning for the chronically underfunded Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) that Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to equip with new gear and a new security mandate. On the same day Carney announced his plan to accelerate defence spending this year, his office told National Post Monday that the CCG — which currently reports to the minister of fisheries — would shift to the minister of national defence's portfolio. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The move away from the fisheries minister makes it both likely easier for the CCG's budget to be included in Canada's defence spending in the eyes of NATO and is part of Carney's desire to pivot the 63-year-old civilian agency towards a more security-oriented role. 'Canadians elected our new Government on a strong mandate for change — to protect our borders and defend our sovereignty with increased focus and investment. To that end, the Prime Minister will soon initiate the process of moving the Canadian Coast Guard to the leadership of the Minister of National Defence,' PMO spokesperson Emily Williams said in a statement. 'The change will permit the Coast Guard to fulfill better both its civilian and security responsibilities.' The statement did not say when the changeover would happen, with Williams promising that 'more details will come in due course.' A senior Liberal source also told National Post that the government is considering arming the CCG, though they stressed that no decision has been made yet as officials continue to chart the reform. Arming the CCG, which would be a massive — and costly — change for the special agency that has always been an unarmed civilian organization. 'We're not there yet,' the official said of the decision. The source was granted anonymity to discuss internal government deliberations. The Coast Guard has struggled for years with its mandate, pulled between its various responsibilities such as research, search and rescue, icebreaking, marine protection and coastal surveillance, but without any law enforcement powers. Due to its icebreaking capabilities, it also has unique expertise on the Canadian Arctic within the government. In the recent election campaign, the Liberals promised to give the CCG a new mandate 'to conduct maritime surveillance operations' along with the required equipment. Last week, the Liberals tabled a border security bill that proposes to give the CCG a new security mandate, the power to conduct 'security patrols' and the ability to share information with the military and intelligence agencies. In an interview, former CCG Commissioner Jody Thomas said the agency is long overdue for significant reform and that she'd been 'nagging' the government to move the agency to the defence or public safety portfolio for years. 'It is a major change, and I think it's an important change. I think that this is just another signal that Canada is changing its perspective on our own sovereignty,' said Thomas, who was also headed the Department of National Defence and was National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Regarding armaments, she said that icebreakers currently under construction have been fitted for, but not with, weapons, meaning that arming them would be a relatively straightforward task. The real challenge of arming the Coast Guard, she warned, is training. 'It's a very expensive decision, not for the weaponry, but for the training and the constant preparation and exercising that's required,' she said. 'The Navy is always in training… for what's coming. The Coast Guard is out there working. So, it's a very different fleet and with very different purposes.' There are also talks within government of switching the Coast Guard from a special operating agency, which is still part of its host department, into a departmental agency with its own governing legislation that reports to the Minister of National Defense. I think that this is just another signal that Canada is changing its perspective on our own sovereignty In an interview in late May, Thomas argued that that needs to happen. 'It does need to be a legislative agency, the special operating agency status right now, that's a very flimsy sort of architecture and legal basis for an agency' with a security focus, Thomas said. A chronic challenge for the Coast Guard has been the deteriorating condition of its fleet while it operates on a 'shoestring' budget, according to Thomas. As of November, the CCG had 18 icebreakers , making it the second-largest icebreaking fleet in the world. Its fleet registry shows it has just over 120 ships on duty, the majority of which are small rescue vessels. But the aging fleet is also deteriorating rapidly, with ships spending more time in repairs and less time in the water. 'The CCG's aging vessels are becoming more costly to maintain and are more frequently taken out of operation for unscheduled repairs, placing further strain on the remaining fleet,' the agency said in its 2024-2025 department plans report . 'The need to replace the vessels has never been more important.' In March, the federal government contracted two new polar icebreakers which are expected to be delivered between 2030 and 2032. But Thomas said the coast guard has much bigger needs. 'We're one of the few countries that uses the same fleet for northern and southern ice breaking. We ice break year-round, essentially,' she said. 'So, you have to look at the wear and tear on the ship and the things you want them to do, and the places you want them to be, and they're going to have to plan the fleet accordingly.' National Post cnardi@ Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here . Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
