B.C. Votes 2017: Vancouver-Langara riding profile

In advance of the 2017 B.C. election, we'll be profilingall 87 electoraldistrictsin the province. Here is Vancouver-Langara, one of 11 ridings in Vancouver and one that could be among the most closely contested in the city.

Summary: A residential riding in southern Vancouver, Vancouver-Langara includes both wealthy neighbourhoods in south Shaughnessy, south Cambie and east Kerrisdale, along with more working-class areas in Marpole and along Main Street.

Politics: The riding was created prior to the 1991 electionand has always elected B.C. Liberal candidates, the only place outside of Vancouver-Quilchena in the city where that's the case.

Howeverin 2013, the NDP finished with 38.3 per cent of the vote, itsbest result ever here, and two-term MLA Moira Stilwell is stepping down.

Candidates: Michael Lee is the Liberal candidate. A partner with Lawson Lundell LLP, Lee sits on a variety of boards, including the UBC Alumni Association and Arts Umbrella.

The NDP candidate is James Wang, a Burnaby councillor whose family owned a business in the area for decades.

The Green Party candidate is Janet Fraser, who was the second Green Party candidate to be elected to Vancouver's school board in 2014. She served as the swing vote on the board, otherwise split between NPA and Vision members, prior to all trustees being fired in 2016.

Where does the NDP do well? Theareas between Main, 49th Avenue, Fraser and South West Marine, along with the small Marpole neighbourhood, overwhelmingly vote NDP.

What about the Liberals?Van Dusen Botanical Gardens is the separation line for Shaughnessy, but the area south of it is plenty Liberal too: areas between 33rd and 70thand west of Cambie, tend to support the party by huge margins, with over 75 per cent of the vote at many polling stations.