Richmond NDP candidate fined $8,500 by financial regulator

The BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) fined Richmond NDP candidate Linda Li $8,500 for conflict of interest and backdating signatures. The regulator issued its decision to Li, a candidate in Richmond-Bridgeport, on June 30.

Li was fined $2,500 for closing a property deal without confirming that disclosure forms required from the buyer client were complete and properly signed. She received a further $5,000 fine for failing to take reasonable steps to avoid a conflict of interest, and a $1,000 fine for giving the BCFSA incomplete and misleading information in her response. She was also ordered to take the Real Estate Broker’s Remedial Education Course.

In its decision, the BCFSA said Li did not initially provide the disclosure forms. After she submitted them, the regulator requested DocuSign audit records. Li then told an investigator the forms had been completed “post-transaction.” The decision says Li acknowledged that the client’s signatures were obtained during the BCFSA investigation, about one year after they were required, and that the documents had been backdated.

The B.C. Conservatives called on NDP Leader David Eby to remove Li as a candidate, saying the standard for serving in the legislature cannot be lower than the standard for selling real estate. Asked at a press conference Friday morning whether he would remove her, Eby said he would not. He added that Li had paid the fine and completed remedial training, and said she had done “an incredible job in Richmond with the Richmond Hospital Foundation, Chinese community.”

A BC NDP news release described Li as a managing broker at MetroHomes Realty when she ran in the 2024 provincial election. In the Richmond News’ 2026 election candidate questionnaire, however, Li listed her profession as “Fundraising Ambassador for Richmond Hospital.”