A retired North Vancouver judge, who was also the first woman to serve as chief judge of the provincial court, has announced she is throwing her hat in the ring to seek the NDP nomination in the new riding of Burnaby-North Seymour.
Carol Baird Ellan announced this week she'll seek the NDP nomination for the 2015 federal election. She joins Michael Charrois, a North Vancouver actor, drama teacher and two-time federal NDP candidate, in seeking the nomination.
Baird Ellan said one of the reasons she's jumping into the political arena is she feels concerns of local communities aren't being heard at the federal level. "We need renewed commitments to housing and to childcare. We need stronger leadership on environmental protections and on building sustainable local economies," she said.
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan - a longtime NDP fixture in Burnaby - has thrown his support behind the former judge.
The party is expected to pick its candidate sometime in February.
The Burnaby North-Seymour riding is a new riding created when the electoral boundaries commission decided to merge part of the old North Vancouver riding with part of the former Burnaby riding - over the objections of citizens on both sides of Burrard Inlet. The majority of the riding lies on the Burnaby side.
The NDP candidate will join Liberal candidate Terry Beech, an author, university lecturer and entrepreneur, and Conservative candidate Mike Little, a former District of North Vancouver councillor in vying for a seat in the House of Commons.
Note: This story has been modified since first posted.
