ELECTION 2026: Meet the Prince George-Mackenzie candidates

The Provincial Election will be held on Saturday, October 24th.

MyPGNow reached out to each candidate running to become the MLA in the Prince George-Mackenzie riding for their response to the following five questions:

1. Can you provide a brief bio of yourself?
2. Why are you running for MLA, and what makes you the best candidate for the position?
3. What are the most important issues in the riding and how do you plan to address them?
4. What opportunities are available to diversify the economy in Northern BC?
5. Are there any final thoughts on any topic that you would like to share?

In alphabetical order (by last name):

Kiel Giddens – BC Conservative Party (incubment)

I was very proud to be elected MLA for Prince George–Mackenzie in 2024 and am now seeking re-election. During my time in the Legislature, I served as the Official Opposition Shadow Minister for Economic Development and previously as Shadow Minister for Labour. I have also served as a member of the Select Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

Before entering elected office, I spent more than a decade working in BC’s LNG industry, including on what was then the largest private-sector investment in Canadian history. I also held senior roles in the provincial government, including Chief of Staff to the Ministers of Environment and Transportation and Infrastructure, and served as President of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked with communities, businesses, First Nations and industry to create economic opportunities across Northern BC. I’ve also served on the boards of the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation and the College of New Caledonia President’s Industry Council.

My wife, Elyse, and I are raising our two sons, Thomas and Charlie, in Prince George. As MLA, I’m focused on standing up for our communities, protecting Northern jobs, strengthening local businesses and creating opportunities for the next generation.

Ian McMahon – BC NDP

I’ve built my life around public service, strong communities, and creating opportunities for working families. After living and working across Canada and internationally, I chose British Columbia as my home and have spent years working to strengthen our forestry sector, support good-paying jobs, and ensure our natural resources continue to benefit future generations. Today, I serve as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Forests, helping advance solutions that support workers, local economies, and sustainable forest management.

Throughout my career, I’ve worked at every level of government, from Parliament Hill and the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., to serving British Columbians in roles focused on education, public policy, and economic development. Those experiences have taught me that strong communities are built when governments work in partnership with people and deliver practical results.

As a trained educator, a cancer survivor, and a mental health advocate, I understand the importance of accessible health care, strong public services, and a government that stands up for people when they need support. My wife and I have been married for 39 years, and family has always been at the centre of my life. As one of eleven children, I learned early the values of hard work, resilience, and looking out for one another.

I’m running to be the BC NDP representative for Prince George-Mackenzie because I believe Northern communities deserve a strong voice at the table, one that will fight for better health care, good-paying jobs, affordable living, and a prosperous future for our region.

Teri Young – BC Green Party

Teri Young is a retired educator, business owner and community volunteer with a lifelong interest in environmental protection, social justice and building strong communities.

Teri holds a Bachelor of Education in Industrial Education from the University of British Columbia. Early in her career, she taught in Gitlax̱t’aamiks Village (New Aiyansh) in Nisga’a territory on the Nass River, before returning to Victoria and continuing to work as a substitute teacher.

She later founded and operated Paxar Technologies Corp, a national software distribution company that she successfully ran for more than 30 years before retiring in 2018. Her experience as a small-business owner gave her firsthand experience with managing employees, adapting to change and building a business over the long term.

Teri now lives on a small hobby farm in Cowichan Bay, where she raises chickens and supports local agriculture. She is passionate about food security, local farming and protecting the natural systems communities depend on.

Her community involvement includes volunteering with Cowichan Hospice in grief support and serving as a member of the Koksilah Watershed Working Group, which is involved in protecting the Xwulqw’selu Sta’lo’ (Koksilah River) watershed. She is also an engaged supporter of Cowichan Valley Youth Services and its work with vulnerable youth, parents and caregivers.

As a mother of three adult children and a grandmother, Teri is focused on the kind of future younger generations will inherit. She is running in Prince George-Mackenzie to advocate for clean energy, good jobs, strong social supports and safe, resilient communities.

Why are you running for MLA, and what makes you the best candidate for the position?

Giddens

I’m running for re-election because I want a better future for my kids and for the next generation growing up in Northern BC. That means quality public services close to home, and good-paying jobs that give young people a real chance to get ahead without having to leave the North to find opportunity.

Before politics, I spent more than a decade working in the LNG industry, and I’ve seen firsthand what major projects and private-sector investment can mean for families and communities. I’ve also worked in government and with local businesses, so I understand how decisions made in Victoria affect people here at home.

Over the past two years, I’ve worked hard to be a strong voice for Prince George, Mackenzie and the surrounding communities. I want to keep fighting for the jobs, healthcare and opportunities our communities need, so our kids can build their futures right here in Northern BC.

McMahon

I’ve always believed that government should be in people’s corner, strengthening health care, making life more affordable, and helping families get ahead. Throughout my career, I’ve worked to advance those priorities from within government, and now I want to bring that experience directly to the people of Prince George-Mackenzie. I’ve seen firsthand the resilience and determination of northern communities, including in Mackenzie, where I worked with Conifex during a critical period for the local forestry sector, to fight back against Trump despicable tariffs. That experience reinforced my belief that when communities, workers, industry, and government work together, we can protect good jobs, support local families, and build a stronger future for the North.

My experience in forestry and economic development, together with my personal journey as a cancer survivor, has shaped both my perspective and my commitment to public service. I understand the importance of sustaining good-paying jobs, supporting thriving rural and northern communities, and ensuring people have access to quality health care close to home. Most importantly, I know that government must deliver practical results that improve people’s everyday lives, and that’s the kind of leadership I’m committed to bringing to Prince George-Mackenzie

Young

I am running for MLA in Prince George Mackenzie because I strongly believe that all voters deserve to have a candidate on the ballot whose values and party policies best reflect those of the voter.

Without a BC Green on the ballot, many progressive voters, who are environmental concerned and pro-Indigenous might not have much choice.

The BC Greens have a fully funded plan for this election, with a lot of platform planks that are fleshed out and attainable.

What are the most important issues in the riding and how do you plan to address them?

Giddens

Healthcare is a real concern, particularly in smaller communities like Mackenzie, where access to emergency care can’t be taken for granted. Families deserve to know they can get care when they need it. We need to do a better job of recruiting and retaining healthcare workers and making sure rural communities aren’t left behind.

People are also feeling the squeeze at the grocery store, at the gas pump and on their regular bills. We need to make life more affordable for families and small businesses, while getting government spending under control.

Public safety is another major concern. People want to feel safe in their neighbourhoods, and local businesses shouldn’t have to worry about crime affecting their livelihoods. We need to address repeat offending, tackle the drug crisis and support safer communities.

And jobs are a big part of all of this. When a mill closes or a major employer struggles, it affects the whole community. We need to support our existing industries, attract new investment and create more opportunities for people to build a future here in the North.

McMahon

I also know that families across Prince George-Mackenzie are feeling the pressure of rising costs. People want a government that helps make life more affordable while protecting the good-paying jobs that support our communities. I’m committed to supporting practical measures that help families keep more of what they earn, lower everyday costs, strengthen local economies, and create opportunities for the next generation. By building on our strengths in forestry, resource development, and small business, we can grow the economy while ensuring the benefits are shared by the people who live and work here.

My personal journey as a cancer survivor has shaped both my perspective and my commitment to public service. I know how important it is to have access to quality health care close to home, especially in northern and rural communities. That’s why I’m committed to strengthening our public health care system by accelerating the highly successful NDP family doctor recruitment/retention program, expanding team-based care, and doing all I can by harnessing the pain of my lived experience as a parent who lost a child to mental health disease by getting patients the care they need when they need it.

Forestry built Prince George-Mackenzie. From Mackenzie and McLeod Lake to Prince George and the surrounding communities, generations of families have relied on the forest sector for good-paying jobs and strong local economies. Today, those communities are facing challenges that are largely beyond their control: soft lumber tariffs, global market pressures, and uncertainty in key export markets. We can’t control decisions made in Washington or fluctuations in world commodity prices, but we can make sure British Columbia has a plan that puts northern communities first. That means supporting local logs to local mills, expanding value-added manufacturing, finding new markets for B.C. wood products, and ensuring more of the economic benefit from our forests stays right here in the region.

We need active forest management that reduces wildfire risk, protects communities, improves forest health, and creates work for local loggers, truckers, equipment operators, and forestry contractors. If you elect me as your MLA, I will use all my talents to make this happen.

Most importantly, the people who depend on the forest should have a stronger voice in how it is managed. That means supporting community forests, expanding opportunities for First Nations partnerships, ensuring tenures are used to support local jobs, and creating conditions for long-term investment in northern resource communities.

Young

Diversifying the economy and tackling the rising cost of living.  – I believe that Mackenzie would benefit from moving away from the boom-bust of the logging and lumber industries, particularly because of the dramatic over cutting of trees and shipping of raw logs.  Instead of relying on large international corporations who are beholden to their shareholding, bring in locally owned value added businesses that export products rather than raw materials.

Adding Green energy industries such as wind and solar and small scale hydro electric, as well as exploring geothermal, would provide highly paid trade jobs that are accessible for those who re-train from the logging industry.  Mining is another industry that, I believe, should be viewed through a strong environmental lens, with a focus on best-in-world practices both during the life of a mine and once it is retired.

What opportunities are available to diversify the economy in Northern BC?

Giddens

We have incredible opportunities in Northern BC. We have natural resources, a skilled workforce, established communities and people who know how to get things done. We need to make better use of all of our strengths to attract investment capital and more opportunities.

Forestry is a good example. We need to stabilize the sector, improve access to fibre and make it possible for mills to invest and operate competitively. With pulp mill closures leaving fibre without a market, there are also opportunities to turn that material into biofuels, bioenergy and other value-added products.

We also have huge opportunities in mining, critical minerals, LNG and natural gas. These industries can support good-paying jobs and create opportunities for local businesses. There’s room to grow in manufacturing and clean-fuel production, too.

But identifying opportunities is only half the job. We need to actually get projects built. That means a competitive business environment, reasonable permitting timelines, reliable infrastructure and strong partnerships with First Nations and local communities.

I want to see more young people able to stay in Northern BC, find good jobs and raise their families here. We shouldn’t have to leave the North to find opportunity.

McMahon

Forestry will always be the foundation of the economy in Prince George-Mackenzie, but our future growth also depends on building on the strengths that make Northern British Columbia one of the most resource-rich and innovative regions in Canada. Alongside a strong forest sector, I support responsible mining, critical minerals development, and investments that create family-supporting jobs while providing the resources needed for a growing economy. We need to ensure that more of the benefits from resource development stay in the North, creating opportunities for local workers, local businesses, and future generations. Supporting value-added manufacturing, expanding access to new markets, and helping industries modernize will strengthen our economy and make our communities more resilient.

We also have tremendous opportunities in clean energy and innovation. Northern B.C. is well positioned to lead in renewable energy development, electrification, and the technologies needed to support a lower-carbon economy. By investing in clean energy projects, modern infrastructure, and workforce development, we can create new jobs while keeping energy affordable and reliable for families and businesses. Economic growth and environmental responsibility are not competing priorities; done right, they go hand in hand and create long-term prosperity for our region.

Prince George-Mackenzie is also home to world-class research, education, and entrepreneurship. Institutions such as UNBC, along with local colleges, Indigenous partners, and innovative businesses, are helping develop solutions in forestry, natural resources, health sciences, and environmental management. By supporting research, skills training, and partnerships between industry and education, we can attract investment, retain talented young people, and create new economic opportunities across the region.

Young