Harwinder Sandhu, left, and Barry Dorval are seeking the NDP nomination in Vernon-Monashee.

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VERNON - Two local residents are in the running to represent the Vernon-Monashee NDP in the upcoming provincial election.

The party has announced two candidates for the nomination, Barry Dorval and Harwinder Sandhu.

The Liberals have already announced MLA Eric Foster will be seeking reelection, while the Green Party is running Vernon resident Keli Westgate.

Barry Dorval is a high school English teacher at W.L. Seaton Secondary and has lived in Vernon for 18 years with his wife and kids, according to a bio from the Vernon-Monashee NDP. He’s been involved with the Vernon Teachers’ Association for many years, including as president. He is currently the vice president of the association. Dorval also sits on the board of the Mackenzie Camp Society and is the chair of the Trinity United Church congregation.

“In my work with young people, I have been a youth group leader, a coach, and a club sponsor. In my free time, I enjoy singing in choirs, reading, hiking, gardening, cycling, and playing squash,” Dorval says in the release.

This is the first time he’s sought public office, although he did work on past NDP campaigns, including Mark Olsen’s.

“I am seeking the NDP nomination because, in the B.C. NDP, I see the policy framework and the kind of leadership that is needed to turn this province around. I want to be part of a team that is dedicated to shifting BC into a more just and environmentally sustainable economy and part of a government that balances pragmatism with compassion to support ordinary citizens,” Dorval says.

You can read more about Dorval here.

Harwinder Sandhu was born and raised in Punjab, India, where she completed her nursing studies in 1999. In 2001, she immigrated to Canada with her Canadian husband and lived in northern B.C. for 11 years.

“After losing my husband to cancer at a very young age, I moved with my two daughters to Vernon in 2012. That was a very difficult time in my life. I had to use all my strengths to rebuild my family,” Sandhu says. “I am now remarried and I have a very supportive husband. I am a Registered Nurse, a mother and a wife. Vernon is now my permanent home. This town is so close to my heart because it has given me so much.”

Sandhu volunteers with Nexus B.C. in Vernon, an organization that helps seniors when they are in need. She describes herself as a strong and fearless advocate for health care, senior's care, public education, environmental sustainability, affordable childcare, post-secondary education and affordability.

“Nursing is a rewarding profession which has made me aware of the challenges, issues and day-to-day struggles of people from all socio-economic circumstances and backgrounds,” she says.

Sandhu is a representative of the Occupational Health and Safety Committee at her workplace, a role that has given her an opportunity to raise safety concerns.

“My family has personally faced many challenges caused by today's health care system, the long waits for diagnostic tests and treatment, unaffordable child care, the cuts to public education, and unaffordable life in BC. I understand how the NDP’s core values relate to people’s real lives,” Sandhu says.

Read more about Sandhu here.

The provincial election is on May 9.

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