With the nomination period closed for the upcoming municipal elections, Prince George has emerged as the British Columbia city with the highest number of candidates vying for the position of mayor. A total of nine individuals are competing to lead the north-central B.C. city, which has a population of around 78,000 residents within its municipal boundaries. In comparison, Vancouver and Victoria have eight mayoral candidates each, Kamloops has six, and Kelowna has three.
Among the nine mayoral candidates in Prince George, three have prior experience in elected positions. The incumbent mayor, Simon Yu, is seeking re-election after completing his first term. Additionally, current councilors Garth Frizzell and Kyle Sampson, who have been involved in local government since 2008 and 2018 respectively, are also running for the mayoral seat.
Roy Stewart, a lawyer who finished third in the 2022 mayoral race, previously served on the local school board from 1981 to 1988. The remaining candidates – Zachariah Olson, Marc Carrier, Randy Danchuk, Ernesto Caranto, and Keenan Murphy – do not have previous experience in elected office according to their nomination forms.
Nineteen individuals are registered to compete for the eight available council positions, including the six incumbents who did not enter the mayoral race. Key issues in the campaign are anticipated to revolve around public safety downtown, homelessness, substance abuse, mental health, and economic development due to recent mill closures and curtailments, along with increased investments in mining and other resource projects in the region.
The future of the Kopar Memorial Arena and surrounding city-owned lands, as well as the potential investment in public infrastructure downtown for a new performing arts center, will also be significant topics of debate during the election.
Although no candidates affiliated with the Conservative Electors Association are participating in the election, all nominees for mayor and council in Prince George are officially listed as Independent. While there are no party politics involved, there are groups of support forming around certain candidates who share nominators or have nominated each other.
For instance, a cluster of support centers around current mayor Simon Yu, who signed the nomination papers for incumbent councilor Brian Skakun and council hopefuls Nicole Fraser, Bruce Wayne Lambright (running as Bruce Wayne), James Steidle, and John Zukowski. Skakun, in turn, nominated Fraser, Wayne/Lambright, Zukowski, Bob Radloff, and Jesi Janjua for council positions.
Fraser has received the most nominations from other candidates, including Yu, Trudy Klassen, McLaren, Steidle, and Skakun. Additionally, local MLA Rosalyn Bird’s name appears on the nomination papers for four council hopefuls: Klassen, Zukowski, Wayne/Lambright, and McLaren. Another MLA, Kiel Giddens, has signed the nomination forms for mayoral candidate Sampson, council incumbent Tim Bennett, and first-time council nominee Janjua.
For a comprehensive list of nominees and their signed papers, interested individuals can visit the City of Prince George website.