By Chris Miller
Staff writer

People outside the Broadway and Granville Chapters don’t mind talking politics—anonymously.

One bespectacled, balding man talks affably about why he’s voting Liberal in the Fairview riding, until his picture is taken during the interview. After peevishly pointing out he hasn’t given permission for the photo, the man says he won’t allow it, or his name, to be published, and marches across the street.

Another woman says, in as friendly a manner as one can, that she won’t allow her name or picture to be published because she’s tired of people invading her privacy.

If you spend enough time, however, the steady pedestrian flow yields a few responses about voting preferences in the reconfigured riding—previously known as Vancouver-Little Mountain—where Liberal incumbent Gary Farrell-Collins is being challenged by NDP candidate Anita Romaniuk.

Some of the sentiment is predictable, given widespread disillusionment with the NDP. "I’m going to vote Liberal," said 31-year-old Cameron Kyle, who describes himself as being in the legal profession. "The main reason is to get the NDP out of there."

Kyle subscribes to the Liberal theory that improving the economy with tax cuts will ultimately create more government revenue for health care and other services.

"It will happen over time, but that’s the hope," he said.

Corey Adams, who sells Mercedes, agrees the Liberals’ promised tax cuts will change the economy for the better. "I moved here from Alberta and I just find that the B.C. mentality is so NDP and anti-business," Adams said. "I’m in business, and I think the main thing is with a change in government, the people’s attitudes will change as well."

Some voters disillusioned with the NDP and Liberals are going Green.

"I haven’t seen anything impressive so far by the NDP, and the Liberals scare me," said Carole Birks, who used to vote NDP but was prompted to switch by the party’s record in recent years. "I think not fulfilling your obligations is not OK."

Carie Wallis, meanwhile, has always voted Liberal—until this election.

"I think I’m going to vote for the Green Party," Wallis said. "The Liberals and the NDP don’t impress me at all. It’s their character—I don’t believe them. I don’t trust them."

Wallis said she’s voting Green partly because party leader Adriane Carr seemed more genuine than Ujjal Dosanjh or Gordon Campbell during the televised leaders’ debate. She said reforming health care should be a top priority, although she doesn’t think Campbell—who she describes as "just a lot of hot air"—will do anything about the issue. "I think they need to pay nurses what they’re worth, and if you’ve got someone who needs cancer surgery—or anything—they shouldn’t have to wait for months and months."

Other Green Party voters are true supporters. Melody Woodard said she’ll vote for the Greens again this election.

"I know obviously they’re not going to win, but I don’t like either the Liberals or the NDP," Woodard said.

She said she hopes when the Liberals take over, Campbell will do a better job running the province than Dosanjh did, though the NDP’s ads about Campbell have her worried.