---
title: "Bulkley Valley-Stikine candidates: Conservative incumbent Hartwell and NDP newcomer Abel both confirmed for October 24"
description: "Conservative incumbent Sharon Hartwell and BC NDP newcomer Frankie Abel are both on the ballot for Bulkley Valley-Stikine in the October 24 provincial election, with a third candidate from the Christian Heritage Party also confirmed."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/bulkley-valley-stikine-candidates-hartwell-abel-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:06:57.936Z"
---

Conservative incumbent Sharon Hartwell and BC NDP newcomer Frankie Abel are both confirmed on the ballot for Bulkley Valley-Stikine in the October 24 provincial election, The Interior News reported on October 5.

Hartwell won the riding two years ago with 52 per cent of the vote, according to The Interior News. Before entering provincial politics, she spent 20 years in local government, including as mayor of Telkwa. She told The Interior News that communities in the region need growth, stability, and certainty, and that they are not seeing those things at the moment.

[Sharon Hartwell](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/sharon-hartwell) has named a new hospital in Smithers, seniors housing in small communities including Atlin, and water infrastructure improvements as her campaign priorities.

[Frankie Abel](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/frankie-abel) is a Gitxsan mother of two who has worked as a cultural safety and strategic initiatives lead for a provincial Crown corporation. Her background includes community engagement, First Nations partnerships, and support coordination for vulnerable adults. She told The Interior News she has the lived experience of a northerner and understands the hardships that northern residents face. Abel is running for the first time as a provincial candidate.

Abel's stated priorities include closing service gaps for First Nations and northern communities, improving transportation access, and increasing Indigenous representation in leadership. She said she came from humble beginnings and has personal knowledge of the challenges northern residents face.

A third candidate is also on the ballot: Ed Ewald of the Christian Heritage Party. The riding covers communities including Smithers, Telkwa, the Hazeltons, and Atlin, stretching across a large portion of northwest BC.

Nominations across all 93 BC ridings closed on October 3, 2026 at 1 p.m. Voting day is October 24. Advance voting runs October 16 to 21 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters in the riding can confirm their registration and find their voting place at elections.bc.ca.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.