Jennifer Rice isn't sleeping much in these last few days before the May 14 provincial election.The NDP candidate, running in her first provincial campaign, says she'll have lots of time to rest the day after the election is over. This week, she's going to spend almost every available hour talking to as many voters as she can. "I'm going to focus on canvassing, door knocking, talking to people in the street," she said. "I'll sleep next week."Ms Rice, who spent several days on Haida Gwaii two weeks ago, was in Lax Kw'alaams earlier this week, and spent another day campaigning in Port Edward. Being outside talking to voters all day in the unusually hot and bright weather left her with a sunburn, but she doesn't mind at all."It's the best way of reaching people, getting out and talking to them," she said. "It's really positive, I feel pretty optimistic - we're going to do well here."Meanwhile, Liberal candidate Judy Fraser flew to Haida Gwaii on Tuesday for a campaign visit, and got a quick lesson in some of the transportation challenges that islanders face on a regular basis.When she had trouble finding a seat on the floatplane flight from Prince Rupert and back, she took a look at the ferry schedule, but realized she no longer had enough time for the ferry, which only travels here three times a week. She ended up being able to get last-minute seats on the floatplane, but wasn't able to fully plan her trip as she wasn't sure until Tuesday morning that she would make it over."You guys need better service, that's for sure," she said. "I'm working on that challenge."Ms Fraser said she had originally planned to visit Haida Gwaii at least twice, but her campaign plans were disrupted when she got sick last month and ended up in hospital for several days. She was still recovering when Liberal leader Christy Clark visited Port Edward and Prince Rupert, but says that Ms Clark's message about the benefits of the liquified natural gas, or LNG, industry was well received.Riding residents are positive about more development in the region, after many years of economic decline."People are excited and they don't think it's time for change, they think it's time to move forward," she said. "I'm hearing a lot of positive statements around town. People are definitely interested in jobs."One of the best moments of the election campaign, she said, was running into a young woman she knows in Safeway. The woman is now enrolled in a welding course at NorthWest Community College and looking forward to finding a job in Prince Rupert once she graduates.Ms Fraser said LNG and other development will bring the kind of skilled, good-paying jobs to the region that will allow young people to stay here.Green Party candidate Hondo Arendt said he's been running a low-key campaign on a tight budget, and using three different kinds of recycled signs from previous campaigns. But although his campaign has been relatively quiet, he's noticed a new attitude among voters."In previous campaigns, when I was putting up signs, I got some scowls," he said. This time around, he's getting positive comments and thumbs up signals.He attributes this to people realizing that the Liberals and the NDP have become very similar, and that the Green Party is the only party on the North Coast asking tough questions about the LNG terminals and other development that appears to be coming to the region."Some of the proposals are quite dramatic," he said, adding that Port Edward is contemplating a development that would see a 1,000-person work camp established near the community, and the waterfront rendered almost completely inaccessible. "People don't think of the impacts until later... At the very least, I think we should be really trying to make sure there is a broader review of the projects."Asked to predict the North Coast result, Mr. Arendt, a history professor at NorthWest Community College, said he has no doubt that the NDP will win the riding. The Greens have been getting a slightly higher percentage of the vote in each election since 1996, he said, and this time around his goal is to capture 8 percent.The other two candidates did not want to make any predictions about the election results."No, I don't want to make a prediction," Ms Fraser said. "I know it's a challenging riding for our party.""Gosh, no," Ms Rice responded, "I don't pay any attention to the polls."Ms Rice also urged everyone to get out and vote, noting that voter turnout in BC reached a new low in the last provincial election."Of course I'd like people to vote for me, but more than that, my hope is that people vote and participate in the democratic process," she said. "We shouldn't take it for granted."