BC NDP announce Sandhu, Hawes as candidates for Okanagan ridings

The BC NDP announced two more Okanagan candidates this week for next month’s provincial election.

On Monday, the party announced Harwinder Sandhu will be running in Vernon-Monashee, a riding that the BC Liberals have held since 1996.

Then on Tuesday, the BC NDP nominated Spring Hawes for Kelowna West, another stronghold for the BC Liberals.

The BC NDP say Sandhu is a well-known nurse at Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

In the 2019 federal election, Sandhu ran for the NDP in the North Okanagan-Shuswap. She placed third with 11,198 votes, or 15.3 per cent.

Mel Arnold, running for the Conservatives, won the riding for a second term, capturing 48.8 per cent of the votes (35,753).

The NDP say Sandhu has addressed a number of issues pertinent to health care, including patient safety and the safety of health-care workers, and has a history of community advocacy.

2:03 Poll shows B.C. NDP with a sizeable early lead in election campaign.

Meanwhile, Hawes, according to the NDP, is a mortgage broker who served two terms in local government. She also served on the board of Interior Health for three years, and was president of Access in the Community for Equality for seven years.

“As an entrepreneur, I know the only way to truly build a sustainable economy is by including everyone,” Hawes said in a press release.

2:28 How do you vote in the upcoming B.C. provincial election?