Kathleen Stephany, a Harrison Hot Springs resident and former provincial NDP candidate in Langley, has announced her bid for the party’s nomination in Chilliwack-Hope.
A registered nurse and teacher of ethics in the nursing program at Douglas College, Stephany is also a former B.C. coroner in charge of special investigations who gained a reputation in 2005 as a whistleblower.
Stephany is also no stranger to business success, having run her own psychological counselling practice, but government should represent all the people, not just the elites.
“We have a society where we can have it all,” she said, “it doesn’t have to be on the backs of the poor.”
In the 2009 election, Stephany ran against sitting BC Liberal MLA Mary Polak.
Stephany said she was reluctant at first to seek the NDP nomination in Chilliwack-Hope because it is such a large riding, and she only recently became a permanent resident in Harrison Hot Springs.
“But we’ve always had a weekend place here in Harrison,” she said.
Although the riding is a longtime conservative stronghold under BC Liberal MLA Barry Penner, Stephany said she believes Chilliwack-Hope is ripe for the taking by the NDP in the upcoming byelection.
“The demographics are changing out here,” she said. “I think people are ready for a change.”
“I think the NDP has done a lot of changing and growing too,” she added.
Dennis Adamson, Yale electoral area director at the Fraser Valley Regional District, declared his bid for the NDP nomination back in April.
No date has been set for the NDP nominating meeting.
