Ladysmith-Oceanside

Charlene Smylie is the BC Green Party candidate for Ladysmith-Oceanside on Elections BC’s final candidate list for the October 24, 2026 provincial election. Nominations closed at 1 p.m. on October 3, 2026. Party pages and news results checked for this update did not turn up a separate biography.

Kris McNichol is the Conservative Party of B.C. candidate for Ladysmith-Oceanside. A Parksville/Nanoose-area resident for more than 30 years and a local business owner, he previously ran federally for the Conservatives in Courtenay—Alberni in 2025. Community roles noted in campaign materials include coaching softball, serving as president of the Oceanside Minor Softball Association, past leadership of the Sproat Lake Water Sports Association, and volunteer firefighting.

Stephanie Higginson is the BC NDP candidate for Ladysmith-Oceanside and the sitting MLA, first elected in 2024. She was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Primary Care Access in November 2025 and previously served as Government Caucus Chair. Before the legislature she was twice elected to the Nanaimo-Ladysmith Board of Education and served as president of the BC School Trustees’ Association during the COVID-19 period. A former secondary-school teacher with an MA in Educational Studies from UBC, she lives on a small farm in Cedar with her husband and two children.