New Westminster-Coquitlam

Gerry Lenoski is the Unaffiliated candidate for New Westminster-Coquitlam on Elections BC’s final candidate list for the October 24, 2026 provincial election. Nominations closed at 1 p.m. on October 3, 2026. Party pages and news results checked for this update did not turn up a separate biography.

Jennifer Whiteside is the BC NDP candidate for New Westminster-Coquitlam and the sitting MLA, first elected in 2020 for New Westminster (now New Westminster-Coquitlam). She was appointed Minister of Labour in November 2024 and previously served as Minister of Education and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Before the legislature she was chief spokesperson and lead negotiator for the Hospital Employees’ Union and worked with community organizations and labour unions at the provincial and national level, including on living-wage campaigns and health-care and social-justice issues. Born and raised in New Westminster, she holds a History degree from Simon Fraser University.

Maureen Curran is the BC Green Party candidate for New Westminster-Coquitlam, announced by the party in late September 2026 and listed on Elections BC’s accepted nominations. A Coquitlam science and mathematics teacher for about 25 years, she also spent four years with Simon Fraser University’s teacher education program mentoring future educators. She holds a BSc from McGill and a master’s in physics from the University of Victoria, with research experience at TRIUMF. While raising two sons in New Westminster she has coached Little League, supported accessibility and cycling advocacy, and worked with New West Environmental Partners and the Climate Action HUB. She helped organize the Climate Safe Cities Coalition and participated in land-defence efforts tied to pipeline expansion (2019–2023).

Michele Lau is the Conservative Party of BC candidate for New Westminster-Coquitlam in the 2026 provincial election, nominated to challenge NDP incumbent Jennifer Whiteside. She has a background in commercial finance, private banking, and business development spanning more than two decades with major Canadian banks including HSBC, RBC, BMO, and CIBC, and holds a UBC commerce degree and an SFU executive MBA.