Election day is nearing for Kamloops and the list of candidates is long.

There are 28 hopefuls running to take a seat on the next city council, with five of those looking to be the city's next mayor. With just three incumbents running as councillors and three current councillors running to be the next mayor, the nine-seat table is going to look much different after Oct. 15.

There are also 10 school trustee candidates who are eligible for five of the school board's nine seats. The remaining four are elected in surrounding communities within the school district.

For those still undecided, the deadline looms this week, so here's a guide on who's running, how to get more information and where to vote.

CITY OF KAMLOOPS

MAYOR

• Dhaliwal, Ray
• Dudy, Dieter
• Hamer-Jackson, Reid
• Hunter, Sadie
• Singh, Arjun

COUNCIL (8)

• Allen, Jamie
• Bass, Dale (I)
• Bepple, Nancy
• Cleland, Bonnie
• Dersch, George
• Giesbrecht, Dennis
• Gordon, Mac
• Hall, Kelly
• Karpuk, Stephen
• King, Caroline F.
• Lambert, Francois
• LaRiviere, Darrell
• Middleton, Margot
• Nelson, Daphane
• Neustaeter, Katie
• O'Reilly, Mike (I)
• Proctor, Jordan
• Rocheleau, Reo
• Ritcey, Jesse
• Sandur, Taj
• Sarai, Bill (I)
• Sharma, Darpan
• Sunderman, Randy

Links and contact information for each candidate can be found here.

SCHOOL DISTRICT 73

• Anderberg, Marian
• Behmanesh, Shahriar
• Grieve, Heather (I)
• Hickson, Cole
• Johal, Jimmy
• Kang, Jo
• Karpuk, Kathleen (I)
• O'Fee, John (I)
• Pearce, Karla
• Rowse, Jennifer

ENDORSEMENTS

At least three organizations have endorsed candidates in the past few weeks.

The Kamloops and District Labour Council announced its support for Sadie Hunter as the city's next mayor.

It also endorsed seven people for council's eight seats and four school trustee candidates for five seats.

Council

• Dale Bass
• Daphane Nelson
• Katie Neustaeter
• Jesse Ritcey
• Taj Sandur
• Bill Sarai
• Randy Sunderman

School board

• Heather Grieve
• Cole Hickson
• Jo Kang
• Kathleen Karpuk

Go to the labour council website here for more information.

Transition Kamloops, which is recognized as a third-party sponsor by Elections B.C., endorsed Arjun Singh as the leading climate action candidate. Singh, Dudy and Hunter responded to Transition Kamloops surveys, along with 15 council candidates.

It endorsed six candidates for the eight council seats:

• Dale Bass
• Nancy Bepple
• Bonnie Cleland
• Daphane Nelson
• Jesse Ritcey
• Randy Sunderman

Go here for the full list of Transition Kamloops survey responses.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) endorsed Sadie Hunter as the next mayor, along with seven council candidates and four school trustees.

Council:

• Bill Sarai
• Dale Bass
• Daphane Nelson
• Jesse Ritcey
• Katie Neustaeter
• Randy Sunderman
• Taj Sandur

School Board: 

• Cole Hickson
• Heather Grieve
• Jo Kang
• Kathleen Karpuk

READ MORE: So what do school districts actually do and how much power do they have?

Other organizations have launched surveys and hosted forums, but have not announced endorsements for particular candidates.

The Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society released survey results from 24 of 29 candidates, which was centred around the sole issue of building a performing arts centre downtown.

While the society did not endorse candidates, survey results show most candidates are in favour of seeing the arts centre built, but the matter of funding remains up for debate.

Survey results can be found on the society website here.

READ MORE: What can a local politician actually do about crime?

The Canadian Home Builders Association of the Southern Interior has gotten involved in the election, too, encouraging voters to watch for pro-development candidates.

The association says "red tape" in the industry is overburdening homebuilders, advocating for candidates that will deregulate the industry.

It hosted a candidate forum at Colombo Lodge on Wednesday, Oct. 12, but has not yet announced any endorsements.

Local media also hosted two forums for candidates in recent weeks.

Kamloops This Week, CBC Radio and Radio NL hosted an all-candidates forum on Oct. 5. The full video can be found here.

CFJC hosted a mayoral candidate forum on Oct. 4, where crime and street issues were major themes in the room. The full video of that forum can be found here.

There's a profile for nearly every candidate, which can be found on Castanet Kamloops and CFJC TV.

READ MORE: Crime rules the room at Kamloops election forum for seniors

WHO CAN VOTE

• You must be a Canadian citizen;
• 18 years of age or older as of October 15, 2022;
• a resident of B.C. for at least 6 months before the day you register to vote;
• a resident of the municipality (no minimum amount of time) or a qualified non-resident property elector (must have owned the property for at least 30 days before the day you register to vote); and not disqualified from voting.
• You are disqualified from voting if you have been convicted of an indictable offence and are currently in custody or if you have been found guilty of an election offence.

WHAT TO BRING

Eligible voters must produce two pieces of identification to prove both residency and identity. At least one piece of identification must have a signature on it. Your identification does not need to include a photo. Acceptable forms of identification include:

• B.C. Driver's Licence*
• ICBC Vehicle Insurance
• B.C. Identification Card
• B.C. Services Card*
• Citizenship Card
• Property tax notice
• Social Insurance Number card
• Credit card
• Utility bill for municipal residence (electricity, natural gas, water, phone or cable service)

*NOTE: A combination B.C. Driver's Licence and Services Card counts as only one piece of identification

WHERE TO VOTE

• Aberdeen Elementary School - 2191 Van Horne Drive
• Arthur Hatton Elementary School - 315 Chestnut Avenue
• Arthur Stevenson Elementary School - 2890 Bank Road
• Beattie Elementary School - 492 McGill Road
• Brocklehurst Middle School - 985 Windbreak Street
• Dallas Elementary School - 296 Harper Road
• Dufferin Elementary School - 1880 Hillside Drive
• Heritage House - 100 Lorne Street
• Juniper Ridge Elementary School - 2540 Qu’Appelle Blvd
• Lloyd George Elementary School - 830 Pine Street
• NorKam Secondary School - 730 12th Street
• Rayleigh Elementary School - 306 Puett Ranch Road
• R.L. Clemitson Elementary School - 5990 Todd Road
• South Sahali Elementary School - 1585 Summit Drive
• Valleyview Secondary School - 1950 Valleyview Drive
• Westmount Elementary School - 745 Walkem Road

All polls are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Go here for an interactive map of all poll locations.

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