RIDING PROFILE: Surrey South

Three candidates are battling for provincial public office in Surrey South.

They are incumbent MLA and Liberal candidate Stephanie Cadieux, BC NDP candidate Pauline Greaves and, for the Green Party, Tim Ibbotson.

Cadieux was elected MLA for Surrey-Panorama in 2009, MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale in 2013, and elected MLA for Surrey South in 2017, all under the BC Liberal banner. In the last election, she won the riding with 50.94 per cent of the vote, a win she’s hoping to reprise

Cadieux last served as Official Opposition critic for ICBC. Greaves, who ran unsuccessfully for Surrey mayor in 2018 under the Proudly Surrey slate, is part of the Langara School of Management faculty. Ibbotson owns a small construction company.

To keep up with the population, the size of Surrey-White Rock, Surrey-Panorama and Surrey-Cloverdale ridings were reduced to make room for Surrey South in 2015.

The BC Electoral Boundaries Commission reported that 57,746 people live within the 125-sq.-km Surrey South boundary – the largest geographical riding in Surrey.

The boundary riding includes Mud Bay and follows 24 Avenue to Highway 99 where it jets south to the border. The riding follows 0 Avenue to 196 Street where it goes straight north to 76 Avenue. The northern chunk of the riding zigzags southwest to 188 Street, then south to 56 Avenue and lines west back to Mud Bay.

Candidates:

We asked each candidate a simple question. “Why are you the best candidate in your riding?” We asked them to keep their pitch to 150 words. For those candidates who did not respond, we made every effort to tell you a little something about them or at the very least, send you in the right direction to learn about them.

Stephanie Cadieux

Liberal

I’m Stephanie Cadieux, BC Liberal Candidate for Surrey South. I believe in personal responsibility, free enterprise, and building the kind of strong economy that lets us invest in education, health care and social services.

In the three Surrey ridings I’ve represented, BC Liberals opened 3,780 new classroom seats and another 2,755 seats were underway at the last election. Schools will always be a big focus for me.

I want to see a hospital in Cloverdale and the Massey replacement bridge built. BC Liberals delivered the strongest economy in the country while in government and we’re ready to do it again.

I’ve had the honour of representing our community for 11 years. Now more than ever we need a government that knows how to make the essential link between a strong economy and our ability to provide supports to those who need them most.

Pauline Greaves