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]
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 |
|
Early life and career
editHartwell 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]
Political career
editMunicipal politics
editHartwell 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]
Provincial politics
editHartwell 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]
Political controversies
editHartwell 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]
Electoral record
edit| 2024 British Columbia general election: Bulkley Valley-Stikine | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ** Preliminary results — Not yet official ** | ||||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures | |||
| Conservative | Sharon Hartwell | 4,875 | 52.41 | |||||
| New Democratic | Nathan Cullen | 3,602 | 38.73 | -13.0 | ||||
| Green | Gamlakyeltxw Wilhelm Marsden | 588 | 6.32 | |||||
| Christian Heritage | Rod Taylor | 236 | 2.54 | -9.0 | ||||
| Total valid votes | – | |||||||
| Total rejected ballots | ||||||||
| Turnout | ||||||||
| Registered voters | ||||||||
| Source: Elections BC | ||||||||
| Conservative gain from New Democratic | Swing | +32.7 | ||||||
| 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 | ||||||
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "About Sharon Hartwell". Conservative Party of British Columbia.
- ^ a b Bakker, Marisca (October 19, 2024). "BREAKING: Conservatives upset NDP cabinet minister in Bulkley Valley-Stikine". Cowichan Valley Citizen. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c Bakker, Marisca (November 9, 2023). "Former Telkwa mayor's jump back into politics is about health care". The Interior News. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Bakker, Marisca (October 19, 2024). "BREAKING: Conservatives upset NDP cabinet minister in Bulkley Valley-Stikine". The Chilliwack Progress. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c Follett Hosgood, Amanda (October 22, 2024). "How a 'Blue Wave' Washed Away NDP Cabinet Ministers". The Tyee. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ "Sharon Hartwell is the new Stikine representative for the B.C. Conservatives". The Interior News. December 11, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ "Meet the candidates for Bulkley Valley-Stikine". The Interior News. September 19, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ "Decision BC: Stikine". Global News. April 12, 2013. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Nolan (April 17, 2013). "Hartwell runs for Liberal party". The Interior News. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
- ^ "BC election 2024 results: Bulkley Valley-Stikine". Global News. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ LeBrun, Luke (October 20, 2024). "Meet the Extreme, Far-Right BC Conservative Candidates Who Are Now Legislators Following BC's Wild Election". PressProgress. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ a b LeBrun, Luke (September 27, 2024). "Leaked Dossier Reveals 200 Pages of Conspiracies and Controversial Statements From John Rustad's BC Conservative Candidates". PressProgress. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
- ^ "Statement of Votes - 40th Provincial General Election" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- ^ "FRPC - Provincial Financial Report Listing". Elections BC. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
See also
editExternal links
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