Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne is seeking the B.C. NDP nomination in the Mid Island-Pacific Rim riding, where the current MLA Scott Fraser has announced he won’t run again.
Fraser, the minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation, has represented the riding for the past 15 years.
A former professional biologist, Osborne was elected mayor of Tofino in 2013. She is the current chair of the Island Coastal Economic Trust and a former chairperson of the Alberni Clayoquot Regional District.
Osborne said she decided to seek the nomination because she has seen the “devastating effects” of the pandemic in her community and she believes Premier John Horgan is the right person to lead the province through the pandemic.
“I want to work with him and his team and serve the people of Mid Island-Pacific Rim,” she said.
When an election is called, Osborne plans to take a leave of absence as mayor, and she’ll step down if elected.
The riding has a long history of electing NDP leaders dating back to the early 60s, with just one term won each by the B.C. Liberals and the Social Credit Party in nearly 60 years.
