25-year-old NDP Kelowna-Lake Country candidate Erik Olesen hopes to shake the status quo in the upcoming provincial election on May 9, 2017.

(JENNA HICKMAN / iNFOnews.ca)

KELOWNA - Erik Olesen says nothing can surprise him in terms of campaigning.

Although he has been involved in numerous political campaigns, this is the 25-year-old’s first time running in a provincial election. Growing up in Ottawa, Olesen got involved in politics from an early age.

“I started at the age of 12 as a volunteer with a mayor’s campaign in Ottawa,” Olesen says. “But this will be my ninth, and I consider this to be my first full blown campaign.”

Olesen has worked on Liberal, Conservative and NDP campaigns, most notably working with Conservative John Baird, as well as NDP Paul Dewar in 2011, when the late Jack Layton was the NDP party leader.

However, when deciding to run himself, Olesen says it was the NDP party that resonated with him the most.

“Their whole platform is about people and making sure they get the services they need,” Olesen said. “It’s not based on a hierarchy, everyone is equal.”

After graduating from high school at the age of 16, Olesen went to Algonquin College to study nursing. However when his step-father was diagnosed with brain cancer, he dropped out and continued to work in a managerial position at McDonalds.

Following his step-father’s passing, Olesen and his mother moved to Prince George. He has been in B.C. ever since - a total of four years.

While he was in Prince George, Olesen attended the College of New Caledonia, doing his associates degree in science. However, Olesen ended up leaving the program to work at Walmart where he held a managerial position.

“I’m building my education geared towards health care,” Olesen says. “I’m 25 and I have lots of time to do it, right now I’m focussed on working.”

Two years ago, Olesen moved to Vernon where he lives on the outskirts of the city, bordering the Kelowna-Lake Country riding.

“I praise myself on being there, I’m here all the time - I’m always around talking to people,” he says.

Olesen says locals are happy to see a fresh face in local politics. 

"I've had people tell me they love seeing a younger person get involved, I don't think (my age) hinders me at all, in some cases I think it's an advantage," he said. 

For Olesen, the biggest issue in the Kelowna-Lake Country region is affordability.

“B.C. Hydro rates, ICBC and MSP are the three things that mostly affect different parts of peoples' lives,” he said. “People are having a hard time getting by, living expenses are so high and wages are so low.”

Olesen says his party will freeze B.C. Hydro rates until 2019.

“We wouldn’t freeze them forever, but we need to be able to see what’s going on behind closed doors,” he said. “Christy Clark is the queen of hidden taxes, so we need to understand the problem more.”

Olesen says there is nothing on the NDP platform that he disagrees with.

“I don’t want the status quo, after 16 years, I want something different.”

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News from © iNFOnews, 2017