Prince George—Valemount

Prince George—Valemount was a large riding that included the eastern portion of Prince George and extended east through the Rocky Mountain Trench to the communities of McBride and Valemount near the Yellowhead Pass. It was one of the safest BC Liberal seats in the north, represented by Shirley Bond since 2001. Bond was one of the most experienced politicians in the Legislature, having held more cabinet portfolios than almost any other MLA, and was seeking a fifth term. In the 2013 election, the BC Liberals had won sixty percent of the vote in the riding.

Candidates

Shirley Bond (BC Liberal Party) — Bond was a long-time Prince George resident who attended the College of New Caledonia and studied political science at the University of Northern British Columbia. She was elected to the Prince George School Board in 1993, serving three terms including a stint as chair, and also worked as business manager of the school district's Continuing Education Department. First elected to the Legislature in 2001, she went on to accumulate more than fifteen years of cabinet experience, serving as Minister of Education, Minister of Advanced Education, Minister of Health Services, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, and Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training. In 2011, she became the first woman to serve as Attorney General of British Columbia, and she also served as Deputy Premier.

Natalie Fletcher (BC NDP) — Fletcher was a processing technician at University Hospital of Northern British Columbia in Prince George and a union representative with the Hospital Employees' Union. She had spent a decade working in health care and was motivated to run by her firsthand experience with the challenges facing the northern health system. Her campaign priorities included improving access to health care in the north and supporting workers and small businesses.

Nan Kendy (BC Green Party) — Kendy was a retired instructor from the University of Northern British Columbia's School of Education. Prior to joining UNBC, she had spent twenty years as an educator in Smithers before moving to Prince George in 2006. She held a Master of Education from the University of Victoria, with a focus on Aboriginal and environmental education. She entered the race in part because no Green candidate had appeared on the ballot in the riding in 2013.

Local Issues

Health care access in the north was a central campaign issue. Residents of Prince George and the smaller communities east along Highway 16 faced challenges including specialist wait times, limited mental health and addiction services, and difficulty attracting and retaining physicians to northern practice. The opioid crisis was intensifying across the Northern Health region, and communities were pressing for greater investment in harm reduction and treatment infrastructure. Fletcher's candidacy drew specific attention to the working conditions and resource constraints facing health care workers at the University Hospital.

The forestry sector's ongoing difficulties, driven by the mountain pine beetle legacy, remained a concern in Prince George—Valemount as throughout the central interior. Education and post-secondary access were also locally relevant issues, with the University of Northern British Columbia an important institution for the city and the region. The BC Liberals had promised additional engineering seats at UNBC, reflecting a broader push to expand northern post-secondary capacity. Bond's deep experience and long tenure gave her a significant incumbency advantage, but the NDP hoped that provincial headwinds, particularly on health care and affordability, might narrow the gap in what had been a comfortable Liberal seat.