As the provincial election grows near, get to know your local BC Greens Party candidate for the Kootenay-Central riding: Nicole Charlwood.
Who is Nicole Charlwood?
Nicole Charlwood has lived in the Nelson area for 25 years while raising her family. She has a degree in economics, a decade of experience in local politics, and has held a variety of leadership roles.
In 2021, Charlwood served as a Nelson City Councillor following a by-election. She also held leadership titles while serving as the Executive Director for the West Kootenay Watershed Collaborative and as a finance officer for Elections Canada.
Her experience with Nelson City Council has provided her with a better understanding of the systems that operate in the region, which she says will be of value if elected.
“I feel that I can bring some really good experience, which is specifically why I ran for the Green Party. I’ve been the campaign manager for the Green Party in this riding for over a decade, so I committed a while ago to the party because it is the party whose values best match mine.”
This is the second time Charlwood has run in a provincial election.
When the BC NDP minority government called an unscheduled by-election in 2020, Charlwood had three weeks to run and came in a close second, which is why she decided to throw her name into the ring again.
“You can imagine the pressure that’s been on me since then to run again. And usually, people do better the second time around.”
She says she joined forces with the Green Party because it’s “the only party” she was willing to run for due to how it’s treated as an independent party in the legislature.
“I get an independent vote in the legislature, but I also get to lean into a team. We share staff, we have a caucus, and we get access. We can stand up every day in the legislature because we’re part of an official party, so I get the best of both worlds.”
Charlwood has been heavily involved in water source protection within the riding, forestry reform, and wildlife habitat projects. In her spare time, she enjoys music and being a part of her community.
The Issues: Healthcare and Affordability
Charlwood has been door knocking in her riding’s communities since she was nominated as the Green Party candidate in 2023.
Through this process, she’s learned that the riding’s two main concerns are health care and affordability, stating that more than 50 per cent of residents are unsure how they will pay their bills each month.
“That is an incredibly high number. What I’m hearing at the door is that there are seniors who are going out of the riding to get health care and then do not have a way to get home. There are incredibly long waits, and too many of us do not have access to a family doctor.”
She says the issues in the health care system are driven by several factors, including a lack of transit for health care connections and heavy pressures being placed on local emergency rooms.
“We’re finding people are just choosing not to get care at all. But if they do go to the emergency room, that is the most expensive way to triage our health care system, so people are noticing that difficulty of access, and they can’t afford to get themselves private care.”
In terms of mental health, Charlwood says private mental health providers are being relied on too heavily to deliver mental health support, but those who can’t afford it are not receiving enough service and assistance in the public system.
“That’s why, as Greens, we are promoting adding six mental health visits a year to psychiatrists and psychologists to be covered under MSP.”
The Power of Green
Charlwood believes she offers the best opportunity to create change because of the power her party has in the legislature.
“The value of a Green team in the legislature is that we are best equipped to hold whoever is the governing party to account. That is our wheelhouse. Our politics have become very polarized, and you don’t have to look too far—just look outside the border—at what polarized politics looks like. We do not want that here, and unfortunately, because of this polarization, we are seeing our social fabric deteriorate in our own communities.”
She says she is dedicated to diffusing the polarization in Kootenay-Central communities by ensuring the other parties are held to account.
“Green MLAs and the Green Party are the best equipped to depolarize our political situation right now. With the collapse of the BC United into the Conservatives, that leaves us with two major parties. We need Greens in there as the third strong party to hold everybody to account.”
Final Words
Out of all 69 Green Party candidates throughout the province, Charlwood says she’s one of the three deemed the most likely to win in her riding.
As the time to vote draws near, Charlwood asks for courage and support, stating that the region is at a tipping point with the potential to elect the first-ever BC Green MLA in the riding.
“This matters because our party holds the government accountable. We call for transparency and integrity, ensuring that diverse perspectives are considered in policy-making and that campaign promises are not casually abandoned. Now is our moment. Together we have a chance to make a stand for all we hold dear.”
The election will be held on October 19.
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