Burnaby-North Conservative Party of B.C. candidate Wayne Marklund was charged with impaired driving in North Vancouver in July 2003, but the charge was dropped in February 2004 when he appeared in provincial court on the charge and then pled guilty to a lesser traffic offence; driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention.
"That charge was dropped, there was no evidence," Marklund said on Monday morning, regarding the charge of driving while impaired. He refused to answer any further questions regarding the lesser charge or the situation in general.
This is the first time Marklund, a Port Coquitlam resident who owns Candu Glass Ltd. in Burnaby, has run for office.
The Conservative Party of B.C. did not respond to requests for comment from the NOW.
Since the B.C. Conservatives began campaigning, four candidates have been let go: Mischa Popoff, the candidate for Boundary-Similkameen; Ian Tootill, the candidate for Vancouver-False Creek; and Jeff Sprague, the candidate for North Vancouver-Lonsdale.
On Sunday, Ron Herbert, the Conservative candidate for the Vancouver-West End riding, was also removed, and the party's head of candidate scrutiny stepped down, according to The Province.
Clarification: An earlier version of this story stated Marklund was found not guilty on the charge of driving while impaired.
