WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017
What’s inside:
NEWS: Bridge plans prompt home builder to ask for more height 6
n Elite fencers from around the globe battled it out at the Richmond Olympic Oval over the weekend during the Peter Bakonyi World Cup event. For more photos from the competition, turn to the Pulse section on page 28. Photo by Gord Goble/Special to the News
Au dismisses Liberal link
Emails given to the Richmond News show year-old application Graeme Wood
Staff Reporter gwood@richmond-news.com
C
oun. Chak Au first considered joining the BC Liberal Party before siding with the BC NDP, to run for MLA of the Richmond South Centre riding. Last Friday, on the day of Au’s NDP announcement at Richmond Caring Place, the Liberal Party provided emails to the News, dated February 2016, showing Au seeking a nomination as a Liberal Party candidate, thus calling into question where Au’s political allegiances stand. Au told the News the leak of his “expression of interest” is nothing more than “nasty strategies” by the BC Liberals and that he has not hidden his past connections to the right-of-centre party.
“They talked to me at the end of 2015, around the time Christy Clark was making a trip to China. We had a dialogue. The email (to the Liberals) was suggested to me by a local Liberal member,” said Au. “I was always open to try to see which group was more appropriate,” said Au, describing himself as a non-partisan politician, who “works with people.” However, Au said dialogue between him and the Liberals broke down last summer. “They are very top-down. They weren’t going to listen unless you became a mouth of the party and you cannot offer them different opinions,” said Au. He said the NDP approached him in December and he was upfront with NDP leader John Horgan about his earlier interest in joining the Liberals. Au explained that his initial intention to
run for a provincial seat was out of a desire to bring more transparency and dialogue between local MLAs and city councillors. On Friday, Au told NDP supporters and Horgan that there has been failed dialogue between the two sides, as far back as his first year on council in 2011. Au cited two major concerns: the stall to rebuild Richmond Hospital and education funding, including delays to upgrade schools for seismic safety. Au’s allegiances in federal politics has also been across the political spectrum, as he is a long-time contributor to the Conservative Party of Canada; he said he supports PM Alice Wong for the work she does in the community. Au also supported Carol Day last provincial election when she ran for the provincial conservatives. See Au page 3
Pink Shirt Day: The News has a special, 11-page anti-bullying section 13
SPORTS: Triple overtime thriller evens series for Sockeyes 31
Working for Richmond. Working for you. Teresa Wat 屈潔冰 MLA for Richmond Centre