Community advocate Nicholas Wong has announced he’ll run as an independent in Delta South in the upcoming provincial election.

Wong, who was born and raised in Delta, is hoping to fill the void that will be left by two-term independent MLA Vicki Huntington, who announced last month she won’t run again.

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The 26-year-old has Huntington’s endorsement and says her constituency association will help his candidacy to ensure the riding keeps an independent voice that’s not handcuffed by party lines.

“As long as I’ve been able to vote she’s been a hero of mine. What she’s done in comparison to the other MLAs who have been around, we see just how few times a party’s representatives can go against the party line. I think her brand of independent representation is exactly the type of representation we need in South Delta,” said Wong.

A graduate of Delta Secondary, Wong has a degree in philosophy at Simon Fraser University and now works in software development and project management. He ran for Delta council in 2014 and was also involved with the community group that campaigned for better surgical services at Delta Hospital.

He originally planned to support Huntington’s re-election campaign, but felt someone with a passion for the community needed to step up after she made the surprise announcement she wouldn’t seek a third term.

“In today’s political environment that’s rife with spin and so-called alternative facts, we’ve lost sight of what politics was meant to be, and it’s meant to be a discourse where everyone can weigh the facts as they are presented and come up with the best solution for everyone involved. Somehow that got so lost and muddied along the way,” he said.

Wong said that, first off the bat, he hopes to introduce a bill to remove corporate and union donations from B.C. politics.

As far as South Delta, it’s all about “the impacts on the well- being and quality of life of South Deltans” from the various things locally that are under provincial control, such as the underfunding of Delta Hospital. Also saying LRT is very doable for south of the Fraser, he agrees a buck a bridge” tolling system is the most fair and would help ease congestion.

Wong has made it clear he’s no fan of Port Metro Vancouver’s Terminal 2 project as well as the George Massey Tunnel replacement bridge, a project he says can easily be replaced with a much less costly twin tunnel. He said the facts, not spin, need to get out about such projects.

Wong said he thinks there’s an appetite among the electorate for more independents in the legislature, especially after seeing how well Huntington has represented South Delta.

“Nick and I hold many of the same values, and most of all we share an abiding sense of the need to be a true representative of – and voice for – the people of South Delta,” Huntington said in a statement. “I urge you to take another leap of faith and vote for a man that I believe will deliver sound and intelligent service to our community.”

Wong is the second candidate to declare for the May 9 provincial election. will be running against Ian Paton, the Liberal candidate in this year’s election, but the NDP still haven’t named their candidate for Delta South. Prior to Huntington announcing she wouldn’t be running, the Greens said they wouldn’t run a candidate out of respect for her, but it’s not clear if they’ll do the same for Wong.

For more on Wong check out nicholaswong.ca.