There appears to be no immediate change in BC Conservative candidates for any of New Westminster's constituencies.
As of this publication, Sept. 4, Deepak Suri (Burnaby-New Westminster), Ndellie Mwanangulu-Massey (New Westminster-Coquitlam) and Steve Kooner (Richmond-Queensborough) remain on the provincial Tories' list for the 2024 B.C. election.
This is the apparent case despite BC United Leader Kevin Falcon suspending the party's campaign and creating an agreement with the Conservative Leader John Rustad.
On Aug. 28, the two unveiled the partnership that would BC United (formerly known as BC Liberals) drop its candidates and allow the BC Conservatives to draw from a pool of incumbents and candidates.
No changes have been made in the seven days since for any of New West's ridings.
BC United had two local candidates before the announcement: Daniel Kofi Ampong (Burnaby-New Westminster) and Pavan Bahia (Richmond-Queensborough).
However, the official nomination period closes at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, per Elections BC, so there's still time for the Conservatives to make adjustments if the party feels led to do so.
The campaign period begins a week before the deadline on Sept. 21. General election day is set for Oct. 19.
Brief profiles on the current BC Conservative candidates for New Westminster are as follows:
Burnaby-New Westminster
Deepak Suri holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Delhi. He started his career in the finance industry in Kuwait before moving to the auto industry and immigrating to Canada in 1999.
He has also been involved in the media industry as a radio host and part-owner of a station named AM Band station.
Suri and his wife also own three Indian cuisine restaurants in Burnaby and Vancouver.
New Westminster-Coquitlam
Ndellie Mwanangulu-Massey has worked in the public and private sectors including managing government projects in South Africa and consulting for Revenu Quebec, as well as leading initiatives at BC Hydro.
The party website says she has been in charge of managing project with budgets ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars to more than $50 million.
Richmond-Queensborough
Steve Kooner has owned his law firm, Steve Kooner Law Corporation, for more than 17 years, according to his biography on the party website.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Political Science, from Simon Fraser University, as well as a Juris Doctor law degree from the University of Calgary.
In 2023, Kooner was awarded the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Award by the Government of Canada.
With a file from Jess Balzer, Burnaby NOW
📣 Got an opinion on this story or any others in New Westminster? Send us a letter or email your thoughts or story tips to [email protected].
📲 Want to stay updated on New West news? Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
💬 Words missing in an article? Your adblocker might be preventing hyperlinked text from appearing.
