Kootenay-Rockies B.C. Green Party candidate Kerri Wall rallied with supporters and volunteers to formally kick off her campaign in Fernie at Bramasole on Saturday, Sept. 28.
Wall held a Q&A with her adult son, Nakoda, as a way to share her story, highlight election issues and bridge the generational gap with younger voters, while later opening up the floor to questions from attendees.
Wall's themes threaded through experiencing housing and affordability challenges firsthand living in the Lower Mainland while raising a young son before moving to Fernie. She spoke about her experience being renovicted — being forced to leave her place as a renter ostensibly due to renovations by the owner — and the challenges of housing becoming way to build wealth as opposed to being a place to live.
Other topics included connecting and engaging with younger voters, building government systems based on values of fairness and responding to climate change.
After the floor opened up to questions, further subjects focused on balancing mining, economics, jobs and the environment, as well as mental health supports and the toxic drug crisis.
Wall said the B.C. Green Party provides a different perspective than the other parties such as the Conservative Party of B.C. — which has candidates that formerly governed under the BC Liberal Party between 2001 - 2017 — and the incumbent B.C. NDP.
"B.C. Greens sort of see this bigger view of things and there's this big space on the political left of the spectrum where suddenly, we need some people in there because our province politically is shifting in a direction that I don't think is a good place to go," Wall told the crowd.
This is her second campaign, having stepped forward for the party in the 2020 BC Election "for the sake of democracy" to provide more ballot options as the only woman candidate running against two men.
That experienced helped prepare her for another run in a dynamic Kootenay-Rockies election that has four candidates carving out various positions across the political spectrum.
Because of that variety, Wall says she sees an opportunity for the B.C. Greens in the riding.
"With that kind of spread I think you're going to have a lot of people voting for the candidate that really feels like they represent them best," she said, in an interview after the event. "I think a lot of people will come out and think 'where do I fit on this?' You don't have to pigeon-hole yourself into one or two parties; you can more go where you really feel like you want your vote to go."
Wall moved to Fernie in 2008 and works with Interior Health, helping communities integrate health considerations into local planning and policies. She has a Master of Arts in Leadership and Training and holds certifications in Negotiation, Mediation, and Public Participation and is a founding member of Interior Health’s first anti-racism community of practice.
Wall also serves on the board of the Community Social Planning Society of Cranbrook and Area and is a member of Elk Valley Resources’ Communities of Interest Advisory Committee.
British Columbians head to the polls on Oct. 19. Voting information is available on the Elections BC website.
