Surrey-Panorama has elected the NDP’s Jinny Sims.
“It was hard work,” Sims told the Now-Leader. “And I think at the end of the day, people in Surrey-Panorama were ready for a change, and they wanted to invest in the 98 per cent, not just the two per cent.”
NDP's Jinny Sims says "it was hard work. I think at the end of the day ppl in Surrey-Panorama are ready for a change" #bcelxn17 #surreybc pic.twitter.com/ZWql4Q7nI0
— Surrey Now-Leader (@SurreyNowLeader) May 10, 2017
With 76 of 80 polls reporting, Sims received 9,694 votes, compared to 8,236 for BC Liberal candidate Puneet Sandhar. Green candidate Veronica Laurel Greer received 1,312 votes and BC Refed’s Liz Galenzoski received 106.
In the past, Surrey-Panorama has been a riding of musical chairs, where MLAs are concerned.
It is a relatively new riding. BC Liberal Stephanie Cadieux was its first MLA, elected in 2009, before she moved on to Surrey-Cloverdale. She was elected in Surrey South on Wednesday night.
Jagrup Brar had been elected NDP MLA for the riding’s predecessor, Surrey-Panorama Ridge, during a byelection in 2004, and served as its MLA until 2009 when he became Surrey-Fleetwood’s first MLA with 49.29 per cent of the vote. BC Liberal Peter Fassbender defeated him in 2013 in that riding, where the two are engaged in a re-match this election.
BC Liberal Marvin Hunt, Surrey-Panorama’s most recent MLA, is now carrying his party’s banner in Surrey-Cloverdale, where he was also elected Wednesday night. Hunt, a former Surrey city alderman and councillor, won Surrey-Panorama in the last provincial election with 54.28 per cent of the popular vote.
This time out, Surrey-Panorama voters had four MLA candidates to chose from: Liberal candidate Puneet Sandhar, NDP candidate Jinny Sims, BC Green Party candidate Veronica Greer, and Liz Galenzoski of the BC Refederation Party.
Surrey-Panorama’s population, according to recent figures, is 60,128.
It covers an area of 24 square kilometres and the average age of people living in this riding is 35 years old.
All told, for 53.95 per cent of all residents, English is their second language.