BC Votes 2022: Election Results in Prince George, Central and Northern British Columbia

Prince George voters elected Simon Yu as mayor, making him the first person of color to hold the office.

Yu’s decisive victory in a six-man race brought a night of change to cities in central and northern British Columbia, where the mayors of Prince George, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Terrace and Prince Rupert – most of whom had served two or more terms – had announced they would not run again.

This has opened the door to change in a region that faces challenges traditionally associated with large metropolitan centers, particularly the growth of homeless camps, outdoor drug use and rising housing costs.

Results will be added as they become available. For official results or results not included here, visit your local government website or CivicInfo BC

Prince George and the Central Interior

In Prince GeorgeYu won 40% of the vote after campaigning for his career as an engineer and promising an analytical approach to the mayor’s seat.

He has pledged to build emergency shelters for the homeless in Prince George, after helping build temporary homes for survivors of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. He said he will approach the city’s homeless crisis with « empathy. »

Yu, a former federal Liberal candidate who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, has spoken at election forums about his experience immigrating to Canada from Hong Kong with “just two suitcases.”

He came to Prince George in high school and attended boarding school with many young natives.

« I came here in 1975. I never, ever felt like an outsider, » he told CBC News on election night shortly after his victory. « I belong to the city of Prince George. Diversity is good here. »

Among those Yu defeated in the six-man mayoral race was two-term councilor Terri McConnachie, who won 27 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile, there has been a major upheaval in quesnelwhere incumbent Bob Simpson – who previously represented the city as an MLA and served two terms as mayor – was defeated by longtime councilman Ron Paull.

by Vanderhoof the newly elected mayor is Kevin Moutray. Longtime mayor Gary Thiessen did not run for office.

North West

In Prince Rupert, Herb Pond was elected mayor, having held the post from 2002 to 2008. He will replace Lee Brain, who opted out of running after serving only one term as mayor.

In Terraceformer councilor Sean Bujtas was acclaimed to office after running unopposed for mayor.

Northeast

The largest city in British Columbia’s Peace region will also see new leadership, with the departure of Lori Ackerman Fort St. Jean mayor’s office, having decided not to run again after serving 11 years as mayor and another 17 as councillor.

Lilia Hansen will replace Lori Ackerman as mayor, after defeating two other candidates and winning around 65% of the vote. Hansen was the only candidate with experience in elective office, having served as a councilor since 2017.

The rest of the Fort St John City Council will remain the same, with Sarah MacDougall taking Hansen’s seat.

Dawson’s Creek also gets a new mayor after Dale Bumstead chooses to step down after two terms. Darcy Dober won with 85% of the vote over Shaely Wilbur, a board member since 2011.