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Sharon Hartwell | |
|---|---|
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Bulkley Valley-Stikine | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Nathan Cullen |
| Mayor of Telkwa | |
| In office 1995–2009 | |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | BC Conservative (since 2024) |
| Other political affiliations |
|
Sharon L. Hartwell MLA is a Canadian politician who has been serving as member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia since 2024. A member of the Conservative Party, she represents the riding of Bulkley Valley-Stikine. She previously served as the mayor of Telkwa, British Columbia from 1995 to 2009. [1] [2]
Hartwell was born and raised in the Bulkley Valley. She has two sons, who also live in the region. [1] Hartwell was a business owner dedicated to her communities, which led to her start in politics. [1]
Between then 2009 British Columbia general election and her 2023 nomination for the 2024 British Columbia general election, she lived in Alberta for eight years. [3]
Hartwell as served in the public service for over 20 years. Her involvement began when she served a term and a half as a village councillor for Telkwa, British Columbia, [4] after which she served as mayor from 1995 through 2009. [3] [5]
During her tenure she served as the Small Community Representative for the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) successfully lobbying for a grant process that improved the relationship between the municipalities and the provincial and federal governments. [1]
She was also elected to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) where she participated in the Rural Forum successfully advocating for improvements to the infrastructure formula for rural communities across Canada. [1] She also became the Vice-Chair of Transportation and Infrastructure for FCM where she oversaw airport-related matters. As Vice-Chair she also joined the Rail Safety Committee which addressed rail safety issues across Canadian communities, and the Environment Committee which explored technological solutions. [1]
In addition to her involvement in UBCM and FCM, she has sat on the Northern Health Board for almost eight years, [6] and has served as the chair of the North West Regional Hospital District improving healthcare delivery by initiating the Northern Health Connections Bus program to provide transportation for medical appointments, and oversaw the construction of a new hospital in Masset. [4] [1]
Hartwell also founded Team BC, a program celebrating small and rural communities. This program became a success with 82 participating communities, who had their unique attributes highlighted and celebrated. [1] [7]
Hartwell first ran provincially in the 1996 British Columbia general election as a member of the Progressive Democratic Alliance for the riding of Bulkley Valley-Stikine. [8]
Hartwell ran once again in the 2013 British Columbia general election as the BC Liberal candidate for the Bulkley Valley-Stikine riding. [9] She lost to NDP incumbent Doug Donaldson. [5]
In November 2023, Hartwell was nominated as the Conservative Party of BC's candidate for Bulkley Valley-Stikine in the 2024 British Columbia general election. [3] She went on to receive over fifty per cent of the vote, winning a seat in the BC Legislative Assembly, and upsetting NDP incumbent and cabinet minister Nathan Cullen. [2] [10] [11] Hartwell currently sits in the official opposition's shadow cabinet as the Critic for Rural Communities and Rural Development. [1]
Hartwell called for Bonnie Henry's firing as BC's provincial health officer for her actions during the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia such as supporting the COVID-19 vaccine. In 2024, Hartwell was criticized for describing Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, organizers of the Freedom Convoy, as "an inspiration". [12]
In February 2024, Hartwell replied "Yes" to a Twitter post asking if "Democrats cheated and that President Donald Trump won the last election?" [12] Furthermore, she has endorsed Canada's withdrawal from the World Health Organization and the United Nations. [5]
| 2024 British Columbia general election : Bulkley Valley-Stikine | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Sharon Hartwell | 4,992 | 52.31 | +52.31 | ||||
| New Democratic | Nathan Cullen | 3,709 | 38.86 | -12.91 | ||||
| Green | Gamlakyeltxw Wilhelm Marsden | 604 | 6.33 | +6.33 | ||||
| Christian Heritage | Rod Taylor | 239 | 2.50 | -8.99 | ||||
| Total valid votes | – | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | ||||||||
| Registered voters | ||||||||
| Source: Elections BC | ||||||||
| Conservative gain from New Democratic | Swing | +32.6 | ||||||
| 2013 British Columbia general election : Stikine | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Doug Donaldson | 4,074 | 47.10 | –3.3 | $49,856 | |||
| Liberal | Sharon Hartwell | 3,167 | 36.61 | –8.49 | $45,162 | |||
| Conservative | Jonathan Dieleman | 533 | 6.16 | – | $6,706 | |||
| Christian Heritage | Rod Taylor | 514 | 5.94 | – | $14,482 | |||
| Green | Roger Benham | 303 | 3.50 | –0.9 | $480 | |||
| Independent | Jesse OLeary | 59 | 0.68 | – | $380 | |||
| Total valid votes | 8,662 | 100.00 | – | |||||
| Total rejected ballots | 35 | 0.40 | -0.7 | |||||
| Turnout | 8,697 | 62.82 | -2.48 | |||||
| Registered voters | 13,845 | |||||||
| Source: Elections BC [13] [14] | ||||||||
| 1996 British Columbia general election : Bulkley Valley-Stikine | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| New Democratic | Bill Goodacre | 4,779 | 37.02 | +3.05 | $19,497 | |||
| Liberal | Pat Beach | 3,726 | 28.87 | −2.69 | $28,587 | |||
| Reform | Bill Zemenchik | 3,473 | 26.91 | – | $26,855 | |||
| Progressive Democrat | Sharon L. Hartwell | 624 | 4.83 | – | $2,926 | |||
| Social Credit | Peter Barendregt | 155 | 1.20 | – | $2,481 | |||
| Green | Stuart Hertzog | 151 | 1.17 | – | $997 | |||
| Total valid votes | 12,908 | 100.00 | ||||||
| Total rejected ballots | 52 | 0.40 | ||||||
| Turnout | 12,960 | 71.05 | ||||||
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