Ian Paton (politician)

Ian Paton
Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Delta South
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 9, 2017
Preceded byVicki Huntington
Personal details
Political partyBC Conservative
Other political
affiliations		BC United
Alma materUniversity of British Columbia
ProfessionAuctioneer, farmer

Ian Paton is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2017 British Columbia general election to represent the electoral district of Delta South in the 41st Parliament of British Columbia.[1] He is a member of the Conservative Party of British Columbia caucus, and was first elected as a member of the BC Liberals.

Early life and career

Paton has lived in Delta all his life, now residing on his family farm in Ladner with his wife Pam.[2] He is a third generation farmer and has over 30 years of experience running a dairy farm and a farm auction business.[3][4] His community involvement includes serving as the past president of the East Delta Community Hall Society and as a volunteer firefighter at Hall 4.[2] He also has contributed to local organizations such as the Delta Hospital Foundation, REACH Child and Youth Development Society, and the Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust.[2]

Political career

Delta City Councillor

In 2010, Paton was elected as Delta city councillor where he chaired committees including the Agricultural Advisory Committee and the Dikes and Drainage Committee.[2][3] He spent seven years as a city councillor. [4]

BC Liberals/United

Paton was first elected in 2017, after Vicki Huntington, and independent MLA, stepped down after two terms.

After party leader Christy Clark resigned, interim leader Rich Coleman, with his party now forming the Official Opposition, appointed Paton to be co-critic for the Ministry of Agriculture along with former Minister of Agriculture (2012–2017) Norm Letnick.[5] During the ensuing 2018 British Columbia Liberal Party leadership election Paton endorsed Todd Stone,[6] though Andrew Wilkinson won the race. Wilkinson kept Paton as the agriculture critic.

Paton sponsored two private member bills. The Preserving Brunswick Point for Agriculture and Migrating Waterfowl Habitat Act (Bill M-221) Archived 2019-08-20 at the Wayback Machine was introduced May 27, 2019, and sought to require Crown Land in Delta's Brunswick Point area not be transferred or sold and be used only for farming.[7] The Home-Based Craft Food Act (Bill M-228) Archived 2019-08-20 at the Wayback Machine was introduced on October 28, 2019, and proposed to create a category of lower risk foods, such as baked goods, candy and fruit pies, that could be produced in a dwelling's kitchen without being first inspected by a local health authority.[8]

Paton was re-elected to the legislature in 2020, winning 52% of the vote.

Conservative Party of BC

Six days after BC United suspended their election campaign, on September 3, 2024, Ian Paton was officially announced as the candidate for the Conservative Party of British Columbia in Delta South.[9] He went on to win his seat again, defeating NDP candidate Jason McCormick with 55.1% of the vote share.[10] Paton is now serving his third term in the legislature and has been appointed the critic for Agriculture, Fisheries and Agricultural Land Commission.[2]

Electoral record

2024 British Columbia general election: Delta South
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Conservative 14,491 55.07 – $42,172.84
New Democratic Jason McCormick 11,822 44.93 +10.4 $4,990.71
Total valid votes/expense limit 26,313 99.62 – $71,700.08
Total rejected ballots 101 0.38 –
Turnout 26,414 65.04 –
Registered voters 40,611
Conservative notional gain from BC United Swing N/A[n 1]
Source: Elections BC[11][12]
  1. ^ Swing cannot be calculated as BC United did not run a candidate in this riding.
2020 British Columbia general election: Delta South
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal 12,828 51.70 +7.6 $41,976.94
New Democratic Bruce Reid 8,404 33.87 +13.15 $4,625.74
Green Peter van der Velden 3,581 14.43 +5.12 $0.00
Total valid votes 24,813 100.00 –
Total rejected ballots    
Turnout    
Registered voters
Source: Elections BC[13][14]
2017 British Columbia general election: Delta South
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal 11,123 44.10 +7.45 $52,639
Independent Nicholas Wong 6,437 25.52 – $14,182
New Democratic Bruce Reid 5,228 20.72 +5.17 $4,570
Green Larry Colero 2,349 9.31 – $389
Action Errol Edmund Sherley 88 0.35 – $0
Total valid votes 25,225 100.00 –
Total rejected ballots 68 0.27 −0.14
Turnout 25,293 71.79 +3.50
Registered voters 35,234
Source: Elections BC[15][16]

References

  1. ^ "Paton claims Delta South for Liberals". Delta Optimist, May 9, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Ian Paton at Conservative Party of BC". Conservative Party of BC. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  3. ^ a b "Ready for new challenge: Municipal councillor Ian Paton eager to begin his role as Delta South MLA". Delta Optimist, May 12, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "BC United MLA Ian Paton now running with Conservatives in Delta South". Surrey Now-Leader. 2024-09-04. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  5. ^ Mooney, Harrison (August 3, 2017). "B.C. Liberals highlight small business, rural economy with opposition critic roles". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  6. ^ Gyarmati, Sandor (November 17, 2017). "Paton throws his support behind Stone". Delta Optimist. Delta, British Columbia. p. A1.
  7. ^ Gyarmati, Sandor (May 29, 2019). "Paton's bill calls for Brunswick Point farmers to get long-term leases". Delta Optimist. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  8. ^ Zussman, Richard (October 28, 2019). "Farm families call on province to repeal law restricting homes on farm land". Global News. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  9. ^ John Rustad (September 3, 2024). "Uniting for a Stronger Future: John Rustad Welcomes Ian Paton, Peter Milobar, and Trevor Halford to the Conservative Party of British Columbia". Conservative Party of BC. Retrieved 2024-09-04.
  10. ^ "B.C. Votes 2024 live results". CBC News. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  11. ^ "Statement of Votes – 43rd Provincial General Election – October 19, 2024" (PDF). Elections BC. 17 April 2025. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  12. ^ "2024 Provincial General Election Financing Reports Available". Elections BC. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  13. ^ "2020 Provincial General Election Final Voting Results". electionsbcenr.blob.core.windows.net. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
  14. ^ "Election Financing Reports". Elections BC. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  15. ^ "2017 Provincial General Election - Statement of Votes" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  16. ^ "Election Financing Reports". Elections BC. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
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