BC ELECTION 2024: Meet the four Bulkley Valley-Stikine MLA Candidates

The Provincial Election will be held on Saturday, October 19th.

My Bulkley Lakes Now has reached out to each candidate running for MLA in the Bulkley Valley-Stikine riding for their response to the following questions:

• Tell us about yourself
• What do you think is the most important issue for the area and why?
• Why should someone vote for you?
• Are there any final thoughts on any topic that you would like to share?

In alphabetical order (Last Name):

Nathan Cullen, BC NDP (Incumbent):

I live in Smithers with my family and have been involved in electoral politics for nearly 20 years at the federal and provincial levels. Prior to elected life, I ran a successful consulting firm working with nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies. I graduated with a degree in natural resource management and international development that took me throughout Central and South America. I also spent time in Africa, working with local nonprofit agencies helping communities develop their economies.

Living in the northwest and having the privilege of representing it for so many years, has given me incredible access to some of the most beautiful places on earth. But it’s the people and communities of our region that have most inspired me. I believe elected office should be about service and a strong commitment to solving the challenges we face.

Nathan Cullen’s website can be found here.

Sharon L. Hartwell, BC Conservatives:

I was born and raised in the Bulkley Valley to a family who strongly believed in being community minded and actively participating in shaping the future of our community. My commitment has been to elevate the standards for small communities. As a business owner, councillor and mayor of Telkwa, I spent my energy advocating for improvements in health care by sitting on the North West Regional Hospital District Board, and initiating the Northern Health Connections Bus. I elevated the value and interests of small and rural communities as their representative at UBCM. My unwavering commitment is to be a resounding voice for the people of the Bulkley Valley-Stikine Riding, advocating for positive change and a bright future for all.

Sharon Hartwell’s website can be found here.

Wilhelm Marsden, BC Greens:

My Bulkley Lakes Now reached out to Marsden but did not hear back in time for publication. More information about him can be found on his website: https://bcgreens2024.ca/your-candidates/wilhelm-marsden/

Rod Taylor, BC Christian Heritage Party (Party Leader):

Rod Taylor and his wife, Elaine, have lived for the past 37 years in the beautiful Bulkley Valley, in northern British Columbia. They have two children, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. In 2024, they celebrated 50 years of marriage.

Rod worked for 25 years in the lumber industry in B.C. He also worked 6 years for Canadian National Railways in Alberta. He served as Deputy Leader of the Christian Heritage Party of Canada (CHP Canada) for 5 1/2 years and was elected National Leader in 2014. He is also the current leader of the provincial wing, CHP-BC, running on a platform of Life! Family! and Freedom! For over 30 years, he has been a director on the board of the Smithers Pro Life Society. He loves gardening, poetry, birdwatching and history.

Rod writes weekly commentary for CHP Canada and, in 2018, authored a book entitled The Substance of Things Hoped For. He also hosts a weekly podcast called CHP Talks.

Rod Taylor’s website can be found here.

2. What do you think is the most important issue for the area and why?

Nathan Cullen

I’m an optimist at heart and I believe that, as complex as some of the challenges we face are, we’re up to the task.

High interest rates, years of underinvestment by successive governments, and global inflation have made housing affordability a big issue. Across BC we are building four times more rental housing than Ontario. We have greatly sped up the permitting process. We’ve changed local government zoning and approval processes to allow for more housing to be built faster and gave municipalities $1 billion to help with infrastructure costs.

The toxic drug crisis has taken thousands of lives in BC and virtually every community and family has been impacted in some way. Mental health and addiction services were one of the most neglected parts of our healthcare system, but now we are investing more than half-a-billion dollars to get people the treatment they need. More treatment beds, involuntary care for people with severe mental health, brain injury and addiction issues, along with increased spending on mental health services at a local level will help those who need the help most.

When it comes to public safety the Situation Table in Smithers brings together police, service providers and others to help on a case-by-case basis and lower interactions with police and keep our town safer. It’s having good early results and is lowering crime and increasing public safety. Some folks in politics would rather use a problem for gain than work to fix it. I have been asked to form a task force at the request of Chamber members with local government, First Nations, the RCMP and solving this we’ll do together.

This election has shown that there are some parties who want to further divide us and push the tensions that can exist between people, towns and regions. The Conservative leader falsely claimed that the “election was rigged”, claimed that our schools are “Indoctrination zones” and wants to tear up the Declaration Act and ignore decades of court rulings on Indigenous rights. This is a real threat to our region and economy that would create conflict, economic uncertainty, and years of expensive court cases. John Rustad’s proposals to cut $4.1 billion from our health care budget while raising car insurance and energy rates, are damaging and poorly thought out. We deserve better.

Sharon Hartwell

There are so many issues, The most important thing is to engage with the peoples from across Bulkley Valley Stikine. We have been engaging with communities across our riding, stretching from Atlin in the north, Stewart and Ceadarvale in west and Quick in the south. It is a vast geographical area spanning over 160,000 sq km. with a variety of specific issues. Affordability, Health Care, Education are currently top of mind across northwest BC. After so many years of mismanagement, it will be difficult to solve these problems right away. Identifying the challenges is the first step.

This starts with reviewing services to identify overlapping spending and redirecting your hard earned tax dollars to where they are needed the most. Bureaucracy is bloated with unnecessary levels of government, administration costs and red tape. Since 2019, 5 out of 6 new jobs in BC are in the public sector. You, as a taxpayer are paying for this. Are you seeing any improvements in health care, do you have a family doctor? are you seeing lower pricing at the pumps? how much is it costing you to heat your home? has your quality of life improved?

Conservative Party of BC plans to eliminate Bill 36 referred to as Health Professions Occupations Act or HPOA. Repealing Bill 36 will enable the government to welcome back health care professionals to return to their accredited fields of employment to fill the much need spaces in the north

The concerns teachers are sharing with me are classroom sizes are too large, not enough EA’s, and they are concerned about providing quality education to our children. Plain and simple they are asking us for our help. We are committed to reviewing educational opportunities and cutting overlapping tax dollars to add programs where it matters most. The Conservative Party of BC is committed to getting to back the basics in education.

Rod Taylor

Scrap the carbon tax. That will go a long way toward making the necessities of life more affordable.

End foreign purchases of BC homes and farmland, helping to bring down the cost of owning or renting a home or the cost of starting a farm.

Rehire and compensate nurses and other medical professionals fired under the draconian NDP covid mandates.

Improve cell service along Highway 16 and Highway 37 for safety, convenience and business development.

Improve communication and cooperation between First Nations and other residents. This government has fostered division. Trust and a sense of shared community must be prioritized. All people must have the opportunity to be involved in discussions about land use and resource extraction.

The proposed changes to the Suskwa Valley access bridge must be re-examined and alternative plans fully explored before making any major changes.

Our party supports responsible resource use, an end to the harmful ‘safe supply’ of street drugs, the defunding of abortion, assisted suicide and ‘gender reassignment surgeries’. Money now spent on those procedures should be spent on real healthcare needs.

Preventive maintenance of public forests to reduce the risk of disastrous forest fires.

Water rights for farmers should be protected.

Consumers deserve to know about the food they buy whether it may contain GMOs and / or what pesticides or herbicides may have been used in production. Consumer choice labelling.

Residents of Bulkley Valley-Stikine should have easy and affordable access to firewood and to wood suitable for construction based on forest thinning or removal of dead trees. In this way, local residents may help ‘clean up the forests’ and reduce the risk of fires.

3. Why should someone vote for you?

Nathan Cullen

I believe that the Northwest has long played a proud role in contributing to the BC and Canadian economy, and we deserve attention and investment to make our communities thriving places to live.

I was very proud to push for, and sign, the $250 million Resource Benefits Alliance agreement between all local governments in the northwest and BC to share the wealth that comes from our region.

Politics is often challenging and divisive. While I am a proud New Democrat, I believe our best chances of a good future are when we bridge the divides, rural and urban, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, progressive and conservative. No one has all the answers to the challenges we face but compassion and curiosity are the key.

I believe that reconciling injustices, historic and current, with respect to Indigenous people is not only the moral thing to do, but also critical for our collective future and economy. The passing of the Declaration Act and agreements between Indigenous governments and BC are creating greater predictability and is the path to walk together. 216 new long-term care beds in Smithers for our seniors, connecting Telkwa and Smithers with a fully funded ($10 million) walking and bike lane, $900,000 for the Cross-Country ski club, and historic investments for mountain biking, trails and Hudson Bay Mountain to help keep our community active, healthy and connected to the natural world, $200 million to improve Highway 37 keeping people safe and helping the mining sector do more.

And all of this was done by working together, listening to people across the region, and bringing support and funds from the province to help make it happen. There’s much more to do: hiring even more nurses and doctors, reaching our ambitious conservation goals, new long-term care in Hazelton and a new hospital for Smithers, and more efforts to make life more affordable. I’ve got the experience, relationships and energy to get the work done.

Sharon Hartwell

This is a true grass roots movement. This is the change that people are asking for. The Conservative Party of BC is the party that believes in people first, party second, returning us to a true democratic society. Every elected Conservative MLA will truly represent all the people in their riding and be your voice in Victoria. People are asking for change and I want to be that voice. The North seems to be forgotten and I will speak up for all of you. Under the current NDP government, people’s voices have been suppressed for political gain. People are being misled by deceptive double speak and virtue signaling. You deserve the truth with real answers and solutions. Integrity, accountability and transparency are vital in leadership. I want to work for you. I am here to listen and help find solutions. For me, this is about people, not politics.

Rod Taylor

My goal is to bring integrity and transparency back to government along with respect for life and the family values that made Canada a great nation and BC a prosperous and successful province. I want to end the era of deficit spending and unmanageable government debt. I want to see BC’s healthcare system restored and housing made affordable once again. I am very concerned about the destructive SOGI curriculum being promoted in BC schools leading many young people to question their gender and to undergo hormone therapies and irreversible life-changing surgeries at an age where they cannot fully comprehend the consequences for their lives. I want to see more spaces created for assisted living, long-term care and palliative care. I want to see Bill 36 repealed; BC doctors, nurses, chiropractors and dentists should control their own professional colleges . . . not be dictated to by government bureaucrats or politicians. I believe as party leader of CHP-BC, I can bring a fresh moral perspective to decision-making in Victoria. As leader and MLA, I would be able to speak for the residents of Bulkley Valley-Stikine and not be bound by party discipline as so many MLAs are in the big parties. I have worked with First Nations and understand some of the issues they face and would want to help restore mutual trust and equal opportunity.

4. Any final thoughts or comments?

Nathan Cullen

I’ve knocked on hundreds of doors and traveled hundreds and hundreds of kilometers this election as I’ve done over the past many years in the Northwest. There’s a version of our region, expressed by some, that paints a picture of hopelessness and despair. I hear a very different reality when I talk to people on the doorstep, farmers markets, feast halls and businesses across Bulkley Valley-Stikine. They speak of a fierce pride of place, of the need to work together, and an appreciation that we live in the best province and the best region in that province. This is the opposite of the cynicism and dire predictions of some on the campaign trail – it’s a hopeful and empowered vision of our home and future. And one I wholeheartedly share.

Sharon Hartwell

Change happens by showing up and letting your voice be heard. Your vote matters. Your vote is the change we need.

Vote Sharon Hartwell your Conservative Party of BC candidate.

Rod Taylor

The $8.5 million palliative care facility stolen by the NDP from the Delta Hospice Society should be returned to them and more palliative care facilities like it should be built to provide quality end-of-life care for BC citizens. The BC government has made the tragic choice to promote the killing of the elderly and the vulnerable by lethal injection rather than supporting them with life-saving comfort care.

Doctors and nurses need comprehensive conscience protection. No medical professional and educator should be forced to participate in any procedure or protocol that violates his or her conscience.

Tent cities must be replaced with appropriate housing strategies. The current situation is intolerable and creates an environment conducive to drug abuse, sexual abuse, theft and vandalism, fire damage and is a sad commentary on our standards as a society.

Editor’s note: My Bulkley Lakes Now would like to thank the three candidates for taking the time to respond to our questions. Reading their responses should better prepare each voter for the candidate of their choice.

Voting stations will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday at the following locations:

• Erwin Stege Comm Centre – 4633 10th Ave, New Hazelton
• Gitanyow Independent School – 110 Fourth Ave, Gitanyow
• Gitsegukla Health Centre – 165 Howe St, Gitsegukla
• Gitwangak Comm Hall – 216 Kitwanga West Rd, Kitwanga
• Glenwood Comm Hall – 13804 Telkwa High Rd, Smithers
• Kispiox Comm Hall – 1296 Lax Seel St, Kispiox
• Kispiox Valley Comm Assn – 2489 Kispiox Valley Rd, Kispiox
• Kitwanga Rec Centre – 3754 Mill Rd, Kitwanga
• Mount Rocher Church – 2060 Broadway Ave, South Hazelton
• Paul Lychak Evelyn Comm Hall – 10162 Engman Rd, Smithers
• Round Lake Hall – 13706 Round Lake Rd, Telkwa
• Sik-E-Dakh Comm Hall – 8500 Sik-E-Dakh Rd, Glen Vowell
• St. Joseph’s Elem School – 4054 Broadway Ave, Smithers
• St. Peter’s Anglican Church – 4390 Government St, Hazelton
• Telkwa Comm Hall – 1380 Birch St, Telkwa
• Witset Multiplex – 205 Beaver Rd, Witset