"I wasn’t sure if I was going to run in this election. The NDP were almost successful at keeping BC Greens off the ballot in Coquitlam-Maillardville, but I couldn’t allow that to happen. I’m not under any misconceptions that this will be an easy riding to win, but I think those of us who are fed up with the NDP and conservatives deserve a home.

I’ve been running a residential renovation business since 2011, and I decided to go all-in a couple years ago. After a lot of hard work, I’m happy to say that business is going really well now. I didn’t make the decision to add a campaign onto my plate lightly, and I may not be able to run the campaign I really want to run, but if you decide to put your faith in me, know that I am prepared to step away from my business and serve you in the legislature.

David Eby wanted to capitalize on the challenges his opposition would face if he called a snap election. It’s not just the dysfunctional conservatives he’s attempting to prey on, he also wants to stop BC from having a strong third party, because he doesn’t want any limitations to his power. I’ve run for the BC Greens in the last three elections, and this is the first time I’ve thought it would be too difficult to put my name forward again. It very nearly was. Not many people can drop everything in their life to run a campaign at the drop of a hat.

Since the election was called, I’ve been reflecting on how awful I’ll feel going to the polls and having to choose between the dysfunction and horrible fringe rhetoric of the conservatives, or the selfish, harmful, and mismanaged BC NDP. How is a progressive like me supposed to hold my nose and vote for either? Not to mention that upholding this idea of voting against your enemy instead of voting for something you care about is exactly why the USA is so politically divided right now.

In addition to being a small business owner, I’m one of those scary trans people the conservatives keep trying to come for. I, like people from other marginalized groups, can’t afford a conservative majority. We can’t trust the BC NDP to win against the conservatives right now. They’ve done too much damage, and people are too angry, to put our faith in them.

BC Greens, on the other hand, ended 16 years of conservative rule in 2017, by holding the balance of power. We can keep the conservatives out in 2026 by ensuring BC Greens hold the balance of power again.

I’m supporting the BC Greens, in this election, because my future is at stake. I’m choosing to run for them because I actually like what they stand for (an incredibly high bar these days, I know).

We need a strong, reliable and progressive party keeping the other parties in check.

I’m not quite sure how I’m going to make it through the next few weeks, but I’m going to do it. Because we deserve to have something we can vote for."

Please vote for Nicola Spurling on October 24th to make Coquitlam-Maillardville, and BC, better