Former chief judge Carol Baird Ellan seeks NDP nomination in Burnaby North-Seymour, wins Burnaby Mayor Corrigan’s support

FED NDP CAROL BAIRD ELLAN

RETIRED judge Carol Baird Ellan, who served as chief judge of the BC Provincial Court from 2000 to 2005, is seeking the nomination of the NDP in the new riding of Burnaby North-Seymour in the 2015 federal election.

A long-time resident of the District of North Vancouver, Baird Ellan states, “It is time for a change. Our communities are not being heard at the federal level. We need renewed commitments to housing and to childcare. We need stronger leadership on environmental protections and on building sustainable local economies. And I believe that the NDP is the party to take this country into the future in a progressive way that leaves no one behind.”

Burnaby North-Seymour is a new riding created as a result of a decision by the federal electoral boundaries commission to merge part of the former North Vancouver riding with part of the former Burnaby riding, with the aim of providing adequate per capita representation in the House of Commons.

“Burnaby and the District of North Vancouver have chosen strong leaders in Mayors Derek Corrigan, Darrell Mussatto and Richard Walton,” said Baird Ellan. “It’s well past time we elect a federal government that shares their vision of sustainable communities, one that is committed to working with them, not against them. I would be proud if the people of Burnaby North-Seymour chose me to represent them in that government. I believe Burnaby North – Seymour is a riding that the NDP can win and I hope that I can contribute to that.”

“I am thrilled to hear that my friend and colleague, Carol Baird Ellan, will be seeking the nomination in North Burnaby-Seymour,” said Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan. “I have great respect for her abilities as both a lawyer and a judge, and I know she will bring intelligence, passion and fresh ideas to her candidacy for Member of Parliament. She has my full support and I am absolutely sure she will be an effective, caring representative for both Burnaby and North Vancouver.”

“Residents of North Vancouver and Burnaby are concerned about the potential effects on Burrard Inlet of the Kinder Morgan plan to expand the Burnaby pipeline, and I share their concerns,” said Baird Ellan. “One of the reasons I am running is that I am opposed to the Kinder Morgan pipeline. I applaud the efforts of Mayor Corrigan, the City of Burnaby, and its residents to fight its expansion.”

Baird Ellan finished her term as chief judge in 2005 and returned to sit in her community, at North Vancouver Provincial Court, until her retirement from the bench in 2012. She and her husband, Tim Ellan, have since then maintained a North Shore law practice, where Baird Ellan has done primarily pro bono and discount family law and mediation.