PENTICTON — The Conservative Party of BC named Caroline Elliott on Friday as its candidate in West Vancouver-Capilano, the North Shore seat Lynne Block has held since 2024.The authorized account posted the graphic at 12:29 p.m. PDT and linked a candidate page that puts Elliott in North Vancouver with her husband and two children. She grew up in Surrey, holds a political-science doctorate from Simon Fraser University, and finished second to Kerry-Lynne Findlay on the May 30 leadership ballot, 51% to 49%..“We’re pleased to announce Caroline Elliott in West Vancouver-Capilano,” the party wrote. “We’re unified and ready to bring the change BC deserves.”Nine minutes earlier the same account had already moved the incumbent..“We’re pleased to announce Lynne Block in North Vancouver-Seymour,” it wrote, with the same unity line and a candidate page now plated for the district riding voted NDP in the last two elections..CKNW radio host and former BC Liberal MLA Jas Johal had the rumour already on the air by Thursday afternoon..“Hearing rumours BC Conservative incumbent Lynne Block, (West Vancouver-Capilano) may move to a different riding to make way for Caroline Elliott,” he wrote. “You could stick a BCC sticker on a dishwasher in that riding and win.”Western Standard had heard the same talk Thursday through party sources. Neither the party nor Block posted a reason Friday for the swap as of Friday afternoon..Capilano is the seat Findlay could not pry from Block in the summer. Johal named Block on July 29, with Rosalyn Bird and Ian Paton, as one of three MLAs who refused the then-leader’s request to resign so Findlay could run in a byelection. Bird and Paton later left caucus. Block stayed, kept the education critic file, and said nothing public on Friday about giving the riding to the woman who almost beat Findlay instead.The 2024 numbers are why Johal reached for the dishwasher. Block took 12,049 votes (46.67%) over New Democrat Sara Eftekhar’s 7,006 (27.14%). Karin Kirkpatrick, running Independent after BC United collapsed, was third at 5,326 (20.63%). Margin 5,043. Turnout 58.62% of 44,114.Elliott had been the withdrawn as the United candidate for Capilano in 2024 when the party collapsed. .On the Conservative Party of BC leadership’s first ballot she crushed the riding, 403 of 826 votes (48.79 points). Findlay still carried it on the final count once the field narrowed — largely on account of down-ballot votes from fourth-place Yuri Fulmer.By the time Elliott's nomination was announced, the same BC Conservative account had already filled another west-side card at 12:03 p.m. PDT.Jaime Stein is the name in Vancouver-Langara, the 419-vote seat Sunita Dhir took from Bryan Breguet in 2024. .Stein was similarly the BC United nominee there until Kevin Falcon suspended that party's campaign in 2024.Last April he ran for ABC Vancouver in the civic byelection and finished sixth with 9,267 votes.
