Hoping to capitalize on the recent surge in interest in the BC Green Party following the May provincial election, local organizers are set to form a regional association for the party in the Tri-Cities.

An annual general meeting is planned for Thursday, Dec. 7 at the Nakoma Club, 1137 Kensal Pl. (in the Windsor Gate complex), Coquitlam from 7 to 9 p.m.

article continues below

Anyone from the four Tri-City provincial ridings is welcome but only active party members are eligible to vote for regional council members. There will be food, speakers and entertainment, with organizers promising to engage members in local issues.

Jason Hanley, an organizer and former BC Green candidate for Port Coquitlam, said the party is prepared to engage with supporters.

“You just can’t have responsible government without listening to many different points of view. And that’s a core part of our mandate,” he stated in a press release.

In the last election, the BC Greens garnered 17% of the popular vote, resulting in the election of three MLAs who hold the balance of power in the deadlocked B.C. legislature.

In the Tri-Cities, the BC Greens picked up between 10% and 13% of the popular vote, depending on the riding, with the highest support in Port Coquitlam.