NDP select Ladner candidate
With the tight grip former Delta Richmond-East Conservative MP John Cummins had on the riding for many elections, Ladner's Nic Slater had never seriously considered running for the NDP locally.
That changed when Cummins retired from federal politics last month and hitched up with the provincial conservatives as their new leader.
What also paved the way for Slater, who has never run for public office before, was the apparent disharmony in the conservative ranks locally when they switched candidates after controversy erupted over the financial background of the person originally chosen.
"That, in my mind, has left the field wide open," says Slater a businessman who grew up in Montreal, moved to the west coast to settle in Whistler in 1979 where he was a longtime member of the ski resort community's search and rescue team
The 55-year-old father of two stepsons has been a resident in South Delta since 2002.
Locally, he has been involved in the debate on the future of the Southlands property.
While he's not used to being thrust into the spotlight during political campaigns like the May 2 general election, Slater has had experience in the back room work that helped get Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed elected in the 2005 and 2008 civic elections. He was also active in the chamber of commerce in Whistler.
Slater said he chose to run for the NDP after he was asked by the party because he believes in progressive politics.
"Now, I am taking it to the next step," he says.
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