ONE of B.C.'s most affluent areas, the mountainous West Vancouver-Sea to Sky territory has been a Liberal stronghold for more than two decades.
Comprising Whistler, Lions Bay and Bowen Island, as well as the westernmost part of West Vancouver, the mushroom-shaped riding has a population of 49,195 and stretches south to Cypress Provincial Park and north to the Garibaldi Highlands.
Primarily wearing white collars, the riding's workers earn $50,000 more than the provincial average, bringing home $117,701 annually.
Average home value in the riding is approximately $814,522, nearly double the provincial average of $418,703. All figures are based on the 2006 census.
Liberal MLA Joan McIntyre breezed into office in 2009, collecting more votes than the NDP and Green candidates combined to win her second consecutive term. In 2012 McIntyre announced she would not seek a third term, joining an exodus of departing Liberal stalwarts including 11 MLAs.
Three candidates have so far entered the fray to vie for the expansive riding's empty office including Liberal Jordan Sturdy, NDP candidate Ana Santos, and B.C. Conservative Ian McLeod.
A recent Ipsos-Reid poll has the NDP with a commanding 19-point lead across the province, but Santos will face an uphill battle in attempting to improve on the NDP's second-place finish in 2009 which saw the orange party garner just 23 per cent of the vote.
The Green Party was scheduled to announce its candidate after press time. The Greens have fared well in the riding in the past, notching 22 per cent of the riding's electorate in 2009 and 26 per cent in 2005.
With his party polling at 11 per cent across the province, the Conservative candidate McLeod could also conceivably change the riding's dynamic.
Ana Santos, B.C. New Democratic Party
"I like the common sense approach of prioritizing education. I think education is the basis of everything," she said.
Increasing the quality of education means better jobs, wiser environmental stewardship and better decision-making in terms of lifestyle and diet, thus alleviating health care costs, according to Santos.
The Squamish resident is running to give a stronger voice to workers struggling with un-and underemployment as well as small business owners.
"It is time to change the perspective that this riding has been looked at from," she said.
Despite serving as the founder of the Squamish Climate Action Network, Santos views the term 'environmentalist' as outmoded.
"I am pretty keen to work towards things like education, health care, jobs, business, and all those things and put them together because they are like the pieces of the puzzle," she said. "The environment only doesn't help. Health care only doesn't help. All these things really have to work in unison."
Asked about skills she can bring to Victoria, Santos cites her ability to collaborate.
"One of my biggest strengths is my ability to bring people together from many different backgrounds regardless of their occupation, regardless of what they do in life," she said. "I am well-equipped to identify the strength and the uniqueness of all the communities in the region."
Asked why people should vote for her, Santos replied: "My ability to collaborate. Freshness. Complete lack of baggage. A very open mind and a very colourful attitude."
Jordan Sturdy B.C. Liberal Party
"Economic development is a constant theme. Maybe not so much in West Vancouver, but certainly in the rest of the corridor. How are we making a living?" he asked. "What can we do to create a stronger economy?"
The three-term Pemberton mayor said access to mass transit and support for local government in terms of infrastructure would be key issues.
The possibility of major housing projects at Porteau Cove and Britania Beach and their effect on the nearby environment will also be crucial to the riding's future.
"One of those key issues I think is very important, especially in the southern part of the riding is the future of Howe Sound," he said. "There's really very little that's more important than coming up with a process where we can create a land/ water/resource/tourism/ ecology/environmental/First Nations plan."
Asked what skills he could bring to government, Sturdy said serving as a mayor has made him skilled in championing dialogue among sometimes disparate groups.
"Every community in the riding is very different and has different priorities," he said, discussing the differences between a mature community like Whistler and other municipalities in the district.
"Both Squamish and Pemberton are trying to figure out where their future really lies," he said.
The owner of North Arm Farm, Sturdy said he has a stake in nearly every part of the riding.
Asked why voters should pick Sturdy on election day, he replied: "I have the experience and the aptitude to do a good job."
Ian McLeod B.C. Conservative Party
"I think the NDP has got a strong candidate and the Liberals have the mayor of Pemberton, but it's really me, the only conservative in the riding, against two liberal candidates," McLeod said.
The West Vancouver resident's political career dates back to serving as an intern for Republican California congressman Frank Riggs.
"I'm the only one who's running who is in favour of cutting taxes and smaller government. There's very little difference between the NDP and the Liberals," McLeod said.
If elected, McLeod said he will "put constituents first, above the needs of the party, so if the constituents wanted things to be one way, I would vote for what the constituents want."
In 2009, McLeod finished a distant fourth in the North Vancouver-Lonsdale riding with slightly more than four per cent of the vote.
He's hoping for significantly better results this time in his home riding of West Vancouver-Sea to Sky.
McLeod, a member of the operations staff for the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch and shop steward for the B.C. Government Employees Union, said he's far better prepared to run for the B.C. Conservative Party in the May 14 provincial election.
"I think I'll do better this time because we have more solid leadership than we did under (then-leader) Wilf Hanni," he said, referring to current party leader John Cummins. "Last election we only ran 24 candidates and this time we've got about 50 and there are about 20 more in the pipeline."
