Stephanie Hendy, Green Party of B.C. candidate for the Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream riding. (submitted photo)

By Liam Verster

Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream

Hendy named local BC Green candidate

Sep 19, 2023 | 12:52 PM

Stephanie Hendy’s name will be on the ballot for the Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream riding in the next provincial election.

The B.C. Green Party announced that Hendy would be their candidate for the new riding in the North Okanagan Tuesday, Sept. 19.

“Stephanie is a fierce advocate for community resources and services, with a keen awareness of how urban areas are often prioritized over rural areas,” B.C. Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau stated in a release.

“I am inspired by her determination to work to close this gap, and to ensure access to healthcare, recreation, and community support is the best it can be for her community. It’s definitely something we need more of in the legislature.”

Hendy was born and raised in Vancouver. She started her political involvement there in 2015 by advocating for the province to remove the age restriction for government-funded insulin pumps, which was successfully approved in 2018.

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Hendy moved to the Okanagan in 2021 where she works as a physical rehabilitation consultant and runs her own virtual training business with a focus on chronic health condition management.

“As someone who works with people who have chronic health conditions every day, the BC NDP’s shortcomings and inconsistencies are all too obvious. Healthcare has become divisive, unequal and unreliable in this province. People with disabilities and chronic illnesses in more rural areas are often left to fend for themselves without the support they need,” Hendy said in the release.

“A large part of this is because politics is often focused on urban areas. Our legislature is in Victoria, and the province’s biggest cities get prime consideration in a lot of policy decisions. When I moved from Vancouver to the Okanagan in 2021, the gap in services became abundantly clear to me. It leaves a lot of communities without vital services to ensure their wellbeing is looked after. Regional transit is lacking, healthcare services are limited and organized recreational activities are sparse. This divide needs to be addressed in the legislature, and I’m excited by the opportunity to do that alongside Sonia.”

Hendy ran for a Vernon council seat in the city’s 2022 byelection, where she earned 1,578 votes and finished 10th in the polls.

She currently sits on the Vernon Climate Action Advisory Committee, and advisory body to Vernon council to ensure the city follows best practices in choosing actions with present and future climate considerations, and also volunteers with projects initiated by Vernon’s Climate Action Now! group and the Okanagan Transit Alliance.

She also volunteered on the federal Green candidate’s campaign at the last election.

“Now more than ever, we need Green leadership. The current government is disappointing British Columbians over and over again, from failing to implement the Old Growth Strategic Review recommendations, to continuing to ignore DRIPA to pursue Site C,” Hendy added in the release.

“We need leadership that is focused on action, rather than talking, and collaboration, rather than fighting. The Okanagan needs a bold climate leader to better safeguard our citizens against forest fires, drought and food insecurity with aggressive legislative reform. Our region and our planet are running out of time.”

The B.C. Green Party did not say how many other people were vying for the candidacy for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream.

As of time of publication, no other provincial party had announced their candidates for the riding.