Incumbent has good start

UPDATE: 8:25 p.m.

Incumbent MLA Brittny Anderson has taken an early lead in the Kootenay Central riding, securing 40% of the votes, with about 4,300 votes having been counted.

BC Conservative candidate Kelly Vandenberghe has the second most votes so far, with 26% of the votes. BC Green Party candidate Nicole Charlwood is in third with 21%, while independent Corinne Mori has just over 12%.

ORIGINAL: 5 p.m.

Three candidates are hoping to replace incumbent MLA Brittny Anderson in the Kootenay Central riding Saturday.

The riding, which includes Nelson, Creston, Kaslo and now Nakusp, has been represented by NDP candidate Anderson since 2020, although the riding has been held by the NDP since 2005. It was previously called the Nelson-Creston riding.

This year, Anderson is running against BC Green Party candidate Nicole Charlwood, independent Corinne Mori, BC Conservative Party candidate Kelly Vandenberghe.

This story will be updated with results as they come in.

Brittny Anderson

Anderson is a lifelong resident of the Kootenay region who started her political career at the municipal level in Nelson as a councillor.

“While the Kootenays may be far away from the B.C. legislature, this community and the people who live here are at the heart of everything the BC NDP team is doing,” Anderson said.

Nicole Charlwood

Charlwood moved to the Kootenays from Ontario in 2001 and has worked as a campaign manager with the BC Green Party since 2012. She was voted in as Nelson city councillor in 2022, and secured 31% of the vote in the provincial election for the Green Party back in 2020, ultimately losing out to Anderson.

She said her focus remains on “political representation, rural healthcare, affordability, water security and housing for workers and young families — issues that are at the forefront of our shared priorities.”

Corinne Mori

Mori has worked as a nurse in both Nelson and First Nations communities after earning her nursing degree nine years ago. She's also run a sushi restaurant with her husband for years.

During her campaign, she said the government is “too involved in our personal lives” and wants to limit government spending.

Kelly Vandenberghe

Vandenberghe lives in the Creston Valley and has served as the area director in the Regional District of Central Kootenay and as an elected official in Alberta. He raises livestock on a small farm and worked for more than 25 years in auctioning heavy equipment.

He said he wants to make life more affordable for British Columbians and “fix the healthcare system.”