Vancouver-Fairview and Vancouver-Burrard by-election races heat up

Premier Gordon Campbell tried to divert attention from two important provincial  by-elections by scheduling them next Wednesday (October 29).

The  by-elections in Vancouver-Burrard and Vancouver-Fairview  will come shortly after  a federal election, in the midst of hotly contested municipal elections, and just five days before the U.S. presidential election.

But today, it was hard to ignore that the provincial  by-election race  at protests in downtown Vancouver and at the B.C. legislature.

The Vancouver protest at Nelson Park, which was attended by NDP Leader Carole James,  was organized by Renters at Risk. It's pushing for changes to the Residential Tenancy Act.

The NDP issued a news release earlier in the day promising to reopen residential tenancy offices closed by the B.C. Liberals in 2002; closing the loophole that allows landlords to evict tenants for "renovations; and immediately "re-investing in social housing".

It was hard to miss the Vancouver-Burrard NDP candidate, Spencer Herbert, standing strategically beside James as she was being interviewed by news crews. Vancouver-Fairview NDP candidate Jenn McGinn was also there.

The Victoria protest, which was organized by the Wilderness Committee, was attended by Green Leader Jane Sterk, who is running in Vancouver-Fairview. She called for the preservation of old-growth forests.

Renters at Risk distributed a series of questions to the candidates in Vancouver-Burrard. Herbert and Green candidate Drina Read both responded by saying they think tenants should have the right of first refusal if a landlord wants to evict them to do renovations.

The Straight reported earlier this week that  Liberal candidate Arthur Griffiths didn't respond to the survey.

B.C. Marijuana Party candidate Marc Emery posted a comment below this story saying he was never contacted about the survey, even though he filed his nomination papers six days in advance of the deadline.

"I oppose rent controls and believe rent controls only distort the market and create inequity," Emery wrote.

Meanwhile, B.C. Liberal candidate Margaret McDiarmid, who is running in Vancouver-Fairview,  issued a news release today demanding to know if McGinn supports the premier's recently announced tax cuts for small business and individuals.

It's further evidence that Campbell's speech last Wednesday was intended more  to sway voters in the Vancouver by-elections than to calm any financial jitters across the province.