Three candidates are vying to represent North Delta in the Legislature following the election on Oct. 24.
BC Liberal Jet Sunner and BC Green Neema Manral are set to challenge BC NDP candidate Ravi Kahlon’s bid for a second term as MLA for Delta North.
The Delta Chamber of Commerce is hosting a pair of virtual all-candidates meetings ahead of this month’s provincial election. Candidates for Delta South will meet on Tuesday, Oct. 13, while candidates for Delta North will meet on Thursday, Oct. 15. Both meetings are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Residents can watch the all-candidate meetings on the Eastlink Community Channel and on the Delta Chamber of Commerce Facebook page facebook.com/DeltaChamberofCommerce.
Questions can be submitted in advance to Lydia Elder, manager of policy development, government & stakeholder relations for the Delta Chamber of Commerce, at lydia@deltachamber.ca.
READ MORE: Delta Chamber of Commerce to host virtual all-candidates meetings
The Delta Residents Association has also scheduled a Zoom-based all-candidates meeting for Saturday, Oct. 17. The meeting will be limited to just the candidates and moderator and will not be live-streamed, however a recording will be available on the DRA’s website (groupspaces.com/DeltaResidentsAssociation) as soon as the next day.
Questions for the candidates can be submitted by email delta.residents@gmail.com.
Advance voting begins on Thursday, Oct. 15 and runs through Wednesday, Oct. 21, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with general voting on Saturday, Oct. 24. Visit elections.bc.ca/voting/where-to-vote for more information about where and how to cast your ballot.
(Note: the following bios were provided by the candidates themselves or their respective parties.)
Ravi Kahlon (BC NDP)
Website: ravikahlon.bcndp.ca
Facebook: @Ravikahlonbc
Twitter: @KahlonRav
Instagram: @ravikahlonnorthdelta
Ten years ago, Ravi Kahlon and his wife chose North Delta — with its good public schools, access to nature, and reasonable commute to all areas of Metro Vancouver — as the community where they would raise a family.
Ten years later, Ravi’s family couldn’t be happier to have embraced North Delta, and grateful that North Delta has embraced their family, too — electing Ravi as its MLA in 2017.
A two-time Olympian in field hockey for Team Canada and an active community member, Ravi has volunteered on the boards of the Delta Parks and Recreation Commission, the Tapestry Foundation and Men’s High Performance for Field Hockey BC. He’s also an inductee into the Delta Sports Hall of Fame.
As the Parliamentary Secretary for Sport and Multiculturalism, Ravi was instrumental in bringing back British Columbia’s Human Rights Commission.
Ravi understands that an MLA’s job is to make your life better. You can be sure that he and John Horgan are always on your side.
Neema Manral (BC Green)
Website: bcgreens.ca/neema_manral
Facebook: @neema.manral.98
Twitter: @ManralNeema
(The following bio has been edited for clarity.)
Neema Manral has been a resident of North Delta since she arrived in Canada in 2008 from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Neema is the mother of two children; her son Vineet graduated from Burnsview Secondary School and her daughter Ruby has studied at Chalmers, Richardson and Sunshine Hills elementaries.
Neema has a multi-dimensional personality. An educator, she has her MA and Bachelor in education from Mumbai University in India, as well as a diploma in early childhood education from the Delta School District. She has teaching experience in India and the Sultanate of Oman. Currently, she runs Buzza Bee childcare centre in Sunshine Hills in North Delta. She is also associated with Gurukul Hot Yoga in North Delta.
Neema was a gold medalist in public speaking at the University of Mumbai. She is a radio, TV and stage artist, having acted in short telefilms and TV dramas, and is a writer and poetess. She works with Radio-India, and has worked with Radio Punjab, Nagara TV, Joy TV, Radio Fiji — Bula Masti. She also serves as secretary of the Hindi Literary Society of BC.
An active volunteer, Neema has been involved with interfaith dialogues held by Ahmadiya Muslim Jama’at at the Baitur Rahman Mosque in Delta and volunteered in various Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist temples, and is a regular visitor to Ladner Gospel Assembly. Other volunteering includes a COVID-19 food drive, cancer fundraising with Sanjha Vehra women’s organization in Surrey, fundraising for destitute women with Mamta Foundation of Canada, and volunteering with Delta Scouts.
Jet Sunner (BC Liberal)
Website: bcliberals.com/team/jet-sunner
Facebook: @JET.SUNNER
Twitter: @jetsunner
Instagram: @jetsunnerdelta
Jet Sunner is a 28-year law enforcement veteran and a North Delta resident since 2005. He has served in the communities of Surrey, North Vancouver and Richmond and currently commands senior operations for the Richmond RCMP, entailing oversight over four watches and three units.
Jet has a passion for community and mentoring youth. He is the founder of Team Izzat, which is a group of police officers and university students who volunteer their time to connect with young people.
Jet is an active volunteer with the North Delta Minor Hockey Association, has organized 14 community basketball tournaments and provides ongoing mentorship to students at high schools in Surrey and Richmond. Jet also believes in youth becoming involved locally through discussion and has organized various forums where local students present on issues important to them.
Jet is a recipient of the the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award as well as the Richmond Spirit Award for his dedication to youth engagement. Jet was also recognized in the Vancouver Sun as one of the 50 most influential South Asians in the Lower Mainland.
In his free time, Jet can often be found spending time with this wife and three beautiful children in local parks playing soccer and tennis.
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