It won’t be a complete re-run of the 2017 provincial election in Cariboo North, as the BC Conservative Party announced Kyle Townsend will be running for office.

Townsend ran for city councillor in 2018. He had never been a candidate before.

“I want to see a government that supports the industries, that support our province, and a government that understands that there is more to this province than the Lower Mainland,” Townsend said in a media release announcing his candidacy. “I would also like to see a government that spends taxpayers’ money responsibly on projects that will actually benefit the citizens of our province.”

READ MORE: Quesnel local Kyle Townsend vies for City Council seat

Townsend grew up in the northern community of Topley and has spent the past 15 years in logging and mining. He also holds his Mine Supervisor Certification, and he was a first responder and volunteer firefighter for 10 years.

In 2017, the BC Conservatives received six per cent of the vote in Cariboo North, running Tony Goulet. The party, without a leader in 2017, earned less than one per cent of votes province-wide.

This election, the party is led by Trevor Bolin, who was named leader in April of 2019.

Two other candidates, incumbent BC Liberal Coralee Oakes, and NDP challenger Scott Elliott will be running. Both candidates ran in the 2017 election in Cariboo North.

READ MORE: BC VOTES 2020: Provincial election will have familiar duo battling in Cariboo North

Quesnel Cariboo Observer