Challengers added for Nanaimo & Oceanside ridings in provincial election

MacDonald was also previously the managing editor of the Nanaimo Daily News.

He’ll look to unseat Malcolmson, who comfortably won the riding by 5,000 votes in 2024.

To the north in Nanaimo-Lantzville, the BC Conservatives have announced Kelsey Pringle as their party representative, running against NDP incumbent George Anderson.

In a post on her social media, Pringle said she accepted the nomination because she wanted to help address the hardships families in the region are currently experiencing.

“Nowhere is that clearer than health care. People in our region have waited far too long for a cardiac catheterization lab at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. When someone is having a heart attack, every minute counts. Right now too many patients are put in an ambulance or a helicopter and sent down Island for care they should be able to get here at home.”

She said she would prioritize advancement of a cath lab and new patient tower at NRGH.

Pringle is a Nanaimo business owner and sits on the board of the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance.

In 2024, Anderson defeated Conservative Gwen O’Mahony by 3,620 votes.

A newly redrawn riding for the 2024 election, Ladysmith-Oceanside presently has two challenges to NDP incumbent Stephanie Higginson.

BC Conservative Kris McNichol will run for the party provincially, after being chosen as the federal Conservative Party nominee for Courtenay-Alberni in the last federal election, coming in second place to NDP member Gord Johns.

McNicol has lived in the Parksville and Nanoose area for over 30 years, and is a local business owner.

“Growing the company from the ground up has given Kris a firsthand understanding of what it takes to meet a payroll, cut through red tape and keep good jobs in the community,” his profile on the party website reads. “Kris has spent as much time giving back as he has building his business. He coaches the Rage softball team, serves as president of the Oceanside Minor Softball Association, and previously led the Sproat Lake Water Sports Association. He is also a volunteer firefighter.”

Also on the ballot in the riding is Kim Lockhart from CentreBC.

Lockhart is the founder of Butterfly Support Network, a non-profit helping families deal with pregnancy and infant loss, as well as infertility.

She also runs her own small business as a photographer.

“Prior to her work in the nonprofit sector, Kim worked in education and developed a particular passion for special education, inclusion, and disability rights,” Lockhart’s profile on the party website states. “As a parent with children in the public school system, she also understands firsthand many of the pressures facing families, educators, and schools in British Columbia.”

Both Lockhart and McNicol will be up against Higginson, who won the riding by just over 2,000 votes two years ago.

As of publishing time, no candidates had been announced by other provincial political parties, including the BC Greens.

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by Alex Rawnsley

Challengers added for Nanaimo & Oceanside ridings in provincial election

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