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B.C. Liberals name West Vancouver-Capilano nominee

The B.C. Liberals have named non-profit CEO Karin Kirkpatrick as their nominee for West Vancouver-Capilano in the next provincial election. MLA Ralph Sultan announced last year that he wouldn’t be seeking a sixth term.
karin kirkpatrick

The B.C. Liberals have named non-profit CEO Karin Kirkpatrick as their nominee for West Vancouver-Capilano in the next provincial election.

MLA Ralph Sultan announced last year that he wouldn’t be seeking a sixth term. After a candidate search and an open call among members for challengers last month, Kirkpatrick was the only one to put her name forward.

Currently, Kirkpatrick is the CEO of Family Services of Greater Vancouver. Prior to that, the chartered accountant served as the CEO of Private Career Training Institutions Agency of B.C. and the Real Estate Foundation of B.C. She was also assistant dean of UBC’s Sauder School of Business and ran her own recruiting agency. She also holds a master of laws degree as well as a master’s in business administration.

“I do feel with my collection of experiences and education, there’s a bit of a unique ability to see problems and issues from multiple perspectives. I’ve worked in business, but I’ve also spent a lot of time in the non-profit sector and right now I work in the social services sector,” she said. “I feel like I’ve got some experiences and some empathy and some insight that would be valuable right now for me to be able to provide.”

While running for office is new, Kirkpatrick said she has been an active supporter of various parties over her life. As recently as last year, she donated $850 to the BC Green Party. But she said, today, she feels most aligned with the BC Liberals.

West Vancouver-Capilano is seen as one of the safest ridings for the BC Liberals where they routinely get two thirds of the popular vote, but Kirkpatrick said she is not taking anything for granted.

Once the election is called, Kirkpatrick said you can expect her campaigning on housing policies that would make the riding a more inclusive place.

“I’ve seen what precarious housing has done to people from a mental health perspective, how vulnerable it makes people if they can’t afford somewhere to live,” she said. “A mix of housing so that our children can afford to live here so that we can have our teachers and first responders living here.”

Addressing poverty, mental health and addictions, especially for young people, would also be important to her as an MLA, Kirkpatrick said.