The New West Progressives (NWP) are a municipal political party in the city of New Westminster, British Columbia. The party was originally formed as a citizen-led, non-partisan and not-for-profit association in 2017 whose purpose was to contest elections in the city; however, since 2018 they are a political party certified by Elections BC (according to their homepage). The NWP have no formal affiliations with other political parties at the municipal, provincial, or federal level. They were the first municipal political party to be formed in New Westminster.
History The New West Progressives were founded in 2017 as the New Westminster Progressive Electors Coalition, in preparation for the 2018 British Columbia municipal elections. The party was formed in response to a perceived lack of ideological diversity in city council, as the mayor and every councillor elected for the 2014–2018 term shared similar beliefs, and were all endorsed by the New Westminster and District Labour Council, an affiliate of the Canadian Labour Congress.
In the party's first election, they did not nominate a candidate for the mayoral election, and instead focused on the city council and school board elections. In their first election, their top candidate for city council, Daniel Fontaine, received 5,297 votes, but ultimately finished seventh and was not elected. Danielle Connelly, a NWP candidate for the school board, placed sixth in the election after receiving 5,626 votes, and became the first member of the party to hold an elected position in New Westminster.
Prior to the 2022 general election, the party began a stronger campaign and nominated a mayoral candidate, Ken Armstrong, for the first time. The New West Progressives were ultimately unsuccessful in the mayoral election, with Armstrong losing to Patrick Johnstone by 1,449 votes. However, they were able to elect two candidates as city councillors, with Paul Minhas and Daniel Fontaine placing fifth and sixth respectively. Fontaine's electoral victory made him the first known Métis and Indigenous member of the New Westminster City Council. Connelly retained her seat as the sole NWP party member on the school board.
On September 18, 2025, the party nominated Daniel Fontaine as their mayoral candidate for the upcoming 2026 British Columbia municipal elections.
Election results General elections Election Mayoral election City council election School board election Candidate Votes Result Candidates Status Candidates Status 2018 no candidate nominated 4 4 2022 5,227 33.05 5+1 3 2026 TBD TBA TBD TBA TBD
By-elections Date Type Candidate Result Status School board Kathleen Carlsen 41.24 Won
References Notes
Sources
External links Official website