School trustee Katrina Chen has announced she’s interested in putting her name forward as a candidate in the Burnaby-Lougheed riding for the 2017 provincial election, and Jane Shin, the sitting MLA, has announced she won’t run again.
The two broke the news via Facebook, and neither was available for comment at deadline.
"It has been an incredible honour to serve the people of Burnaby-Lougheed," Shin said in an Aug. 25 post. She plans to return to her previous career, teaching in post-secondary.
"Holding public office as an MLA has been a great honour and has taught me so much. I look forward to taking that back with me to better serve our next generation in the classroom," the statement reads.
Shin was the first Korean MLA elected in B.C., but her campaign was mired in controversy over her medical credentials.
On Tuesday, Chen announced her interest in seeking the nomination on Facebook.
Chen has worked in the office of Raj Chouhan, NDP MLA for Burnaby-Edmonds, and she currently works as MP Peter Julian’s assistant. Chen was in Taiwan at press time and unavailable for an interview.
The NDP has not yet approved a date for the nomination meeting. No other New Democrat has declared interest in the Burnaby-Lougheed riding at this point, according to the party. Chen still has to secure approval from the party’s provincial executive before she can officially seek the nomination.
