Who is Paul Ratchford, the Man Challenging David Eby in His Own Riding?

Vancouver-Point Grey BC Conservative candidate Paul Ratchford is inching closer to winning the Premier’s own seat.

It’s not typical for sitting party leaders to worry about getting re-elected in their own ridings, but in 2024, anything is possible in BC politics, and the district of Vancouver-Point Grey is no exception. Tightening polls show the Premier’s home territory as a coin-flip election. Upsets involving incumbent leaders do happen. Just ask Christy Clark, who in 2013 lost her seat to David Eby in this very riding.

Vancouver-Point Grey is once again a toss-up, as Conservative candidate Paul Ratchford’s campaign directly challenges BC Premier David Eby in what could prove to be a major upset for a governing party leader.

So, who is Paul Ratchford? And how did a local family man and entrepreneur rise through the ranks of politics to challenge a sitting Premier? We tracked him down on the campaign trail to find out.

A father, entrepreneur, author, and elite athlete, Paul Ratchford has lived in Vancouver-Point Grey with his family for over 10 years. Having started a household, raised three children, and built a career in finance and technology, Paul’s rise in politics began modestly as a local advocate for taxpayers and neighbourhoods. Now, he’s preparing for one of the greatest upsets in BC electoral history.

Housing Policy Nightmare

As an expert financial analyst, Paul has been a vocal critic of the NDP’s dysfunctional housing policies. He argues that David Eby’s autocratic approach to housing and governance has been a disaster for British Columbia.

When asked to elaborate, Ratchford pointed to a series of mistakes by the government, none more glaring than the imposition of the 7th and Arbutus drug-den development right beside an elementary school and playground. “Congregating people with mental health and addiction issues into 129 single units of low-barrier SRO-style housing at 7th & Arbutus, with a drug consumption site directly across from St. Augustine School and a toddler park, makes no sense for local residents, at-risk individuals, or anyone else,” Ratchford said.

Beyond 7th & Arbutus, Ratchford articulates a broader critique of David Eby’s housing approach. While record-high immigration has strengthened demand for housing, completions have remained anemic. “This is a government that simply doesn’t understand how to get housing built, and they seem clueless that the composition of what is built matters,” Ratchford stated. He’s opposed to NDP housing bills 44, 46, 47, and 18, which have accelerated the demolition of relatively affordable units, replacing them with construction sites and clusters of expensive, shoebox-sized towers.

On the Broadway Plan, Ratchford added, “It’s very clear the Broadway Plan works for special interest groups, not for the people.” Anyone taking a walking tour of the area around Arbutus and Broadway can see the destructive impact on small businesses, renters, and owners in the area.

Paul also points to what he calls a massive government boondoggle in Kitsilano at 1807 Larch, where Eby’s government spent tens of millions of dollars in subsidies for what Eby called “middle-class” homes. These were ultimately delivered as shoebox-sized condos marketed as “boutique living” for $2,750 per month for a 300+ sq. ft. studio. Heralded as a model for middle-class housing, this has proved to be a taxpayer-funded disaster.

Finally, Ratchford questions two aspects of the proposed Broadway Line expansion. “Of course, special interest groups like MST Development Corporation would benefit massively from this, but does it work for Vancouver-Point Grey and, more broadly, for British Columbians? Do the numbers work when we already face high taxes, a fiscal crisis from mismanagement, and anemic economic growth?”

A longtime resident, Ratchford went on to explain that his position on housing isn’t just about criticizing Eby’s boondoggles but advocating for a fundamentally different approach to governing—one that represents the interests of the people, not special interest groups, and builds a better province for the next generation.

Paul listens to local voices, in part because he was born in this area. He grew up near 6th and Vine, not far from the epicentre of Eby’s housing policies. His three children go to school and play here. Like many residents of Vancouver-Point Grey, Paul understands that David Eby’s autocratic approach to governing and housing is a massive, ongoing failure.

Drug Policy and the Addiction Crisis

Paul insists that the government’s handling of the drug and addiction crisis has been a human disaster. The decriminalization of hard drugs, failure to act on involuntary treatment, and public funding of addictive drugs have been devastating for many individuals and families.

Recent reports of a 13-year-old dying alone in a tent are linked to the government’s “safe supply” of drugs being diverted to adolescents. These tragic cases have rocked the province and the country. Some of the responsibility lies with a government that irresponsibly supplies drugs to addicts, which are then resold for stronger fentanyl variants, all funded by taxpayers. Under David Eby’s leadership, Vancouver has become the “Fentanyl Capital of the World,” according to The Spectator.

The Conservative Party will refocus on treatment and recovery. Mental health and addiction policies should focus on getting people clean, not condemning them to government-facilitated addiction and misery. As Dr. Kevin Sabet of PROSPER has famously said, “We need to meet people where they’re at, but we can’t leave them there.”

Justice and Violent Crime

At his campaign office in the heart of the riding, Paul speaks of daily interactions with voters who are concerned about declining public safety.

David Eby’s lack of interest in mental health treatment and in dealing with repeat violent offenders has made BC one of the provinces with the highest crime rates in Canada. The revolving door of criminals in the justice system has been met with tough talk and deflection by Premier Eby. While Eby insists he’s stood beside victims of assault and homicide, his years of underfunding the justice system as Attorney General tell a different story.

Paul Ratchford is committed to fighting for justice for British Columbians. With proper resources, leadership, and a focus on public safety, the province can tackle violent crime, swiftly prosecute violent offenders, and make the streets safer under a Conservative government.

BC’s Healthcare Collapse

One of Paul’s top issues is healthcare, where he believes the NDP has overseen one of the greatest policy failures. Despite healthcare accounting for about one-third of the provincial budget, nearly one million people in BC can’t find a family doctor. Wait times remain problematic for many who need urgent care.

Despite public press events, the NDP has failed to deliver on healthcare. To cover their failures, they have resorted to falsehoods about Conservative intentions to cut healthcare spending. In reality, Conservatives are committed to putting patients first and ensuring money is tied to actual services being delivered, not an overgrown bureaucracy.

Integral to Paul’s campaign is exposing David Eby’s falsehoods and hypocrisy regarding BC’s healthcare collapse.

Paul notes that core medical services aren’t the only things suffering. Many of Canada’s brightest medical professionals, including young doctors, are fleeing BC for better opportunities elsewhere. According to surveys, about half of young British Columbians are seriously considering leaving the province. Under Eby, healthcare has become increasingly inaccessible.

Tax Burden and BC’s Economic Collapse

Paul’s criticisms of David Eby’s mismanagement extend to the economy. Under Eby, BC has experienced multiple credit downgrades, stagnant revenues, ballooning deficits, and soaring debt, unfairly burdening future generations.

Stagnant per capita incomes have left BC among the poorest jurisdictions in North America. A recent study found that among BC, Alberta, Washington, Alaska, California, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho, BC had the third-lowest per-person GDP, barely ahead of Montana and Idaho and far behind Washington.

Under David Eby’s leadership, the public sector has grown dramatically while private sector growth has stagnated. Paul argues that to fund essential public services like healthcare, we must rebuild confidence in the private sector and strengthen the economy.

Paul is running to win Vancouver-Point Grey. By almost every metric, David Eby has failed his constituents and the province. Ousting unpopular leaders is a feature of BC’s political history, and Paul intends to continue that tradition in his home community, making Vancouver-Point Grey the most consequential contest in the 2024 BC general election.

“AUTHORIZED BY NICHOLAS TADDEO, FINANCIAL AGENT, 1-672-867-1499”