4 news April 13, 2011 + Over the Edge Election Roundup Whether you live in the Cariboo or Peace River electoral district we have the down low SHELBY PETERSEN EDITOR IN CHIEF Prince George is split up into two electoral districts. The first is the Cariboo-Prince George riding that has existed since 2003 and consist of the area west of the Great Divide including Vanderhoof, Quesnel, and Williams Lake. The second electoral district is Prince George-Peace River which covers Prince George east of the Great Divide, Dawson Creek, Fort Nelson, Mackenzie, and Fort St. John. If this all sounds a little confusing to you, electionscanada.com has a pretty neat application which allows you to simply input your postal code and then it will inform you of your electoral district and the candidates which are running to represent you. Cariboo- Prince George Christian Heritage Party of Canada — Henry Thiessen Thiessen is a first time candidate for the Christian Heritage Party. Thiessen resides in Vanderhoof, British Columbia and was chosen as a candidate for the party back in January of this year. Thiessen has been noted as saying that his party aims to fill the gaps left by the Conservative Party of Canada in that they aim to not just be financially conservative but morally conservative as well. Conservative Party of Canada — Dick Harris Dick Harris has been the incumbent candidate in the since 1993. Harris has been a standing committee member on international trade during his time in parliament. Harris has also stated that he is in favour of the proposed Enbridge Pipeline project because it will create spin off jobs for the residents of Prince George and the surrounding area. Harris also lays claim to having the busiest and most effective MP office in all of Canada. Green Party of Canada — Heidi Red Red hails from Williams Lake, British Columbia and is a Cattle Rancher. She holds a degree from the University of Victoria in Russian and German studies. Red is a first time nominee and candidate for the Green Party of Canada although she does hold experience in working both with the Agricultural Committee and as a board member for the PNE. Independent — John Ronan Ronan is an independent candidate from the Prince George area. While this is the first time Ronan has run for public office, he believes that his role will help fill the many gaps left by the major parties. Liberal Party of Canada — Sangeeta Lalli Lalli is currently a Political Science student at the University of British Columbia but says that she has strong ties to the Cariboo region. After no local Liberal supporters decided to put their hat in the ring and run during this election, the Liberal Party of Canada was forced to send in a parachute candidate. Lalli has also stated that she has not ruled out living in the riding sometime in the future and that it is important for young people like her to be active in the world of politics. New Deomocratic Party of Canada — Jon Van Barneveld Van Barneveld is a UNBC student who is currently studying Natural Resource Management. Raised in Houston, British Columbia, Van Barneveld embraces strong northern values. While this is the first time Van Barneveld has run for public office he has several years of behind the scene political experience which he believes will be a great asset if elected. Peace River — Prince George Conservative Party of Canada — Bob Zimmer Taking over for long time incumbent Jay Hill, Zimmer has thrown his hat in the ring as the newest Conservative Party candidate. While this is the first time Zimmer has run for the Conservative Party he has been quite active with the party. Citing Ralph Klein, Preston Manning, and Jay Hill as his political mentors, Zimmer was elected as the Conservative candidate early in 2011. Green Party of Canada — Hilary Crowley Crowley lives in Summit Lake, British Columbia and strives to be as self sufficient as possible. A physiotherapist by trade, Crowley started up a charity that helps children with disabilities in India. This election marks the fifth time that Crowley has run as a Green Party candidate in the Peace River riding. Crowley wants to shed more light on issues such as the Althabasca Tar Sands Project, Enbridge Pipeline, and the Site C Dam Proposal. Liberal Party of Canada — Ben Levine Levine has a long history of helping people with their legal problems within the Peace River area. If elected Levin plans to improve the lives of those living in Prince George and the surrounding area by promoting the Canadian Learning Passport, early childhood learning and care, stronger public pensions, and a green renovation tax credit. New Democratic Party of Canada — Lois Boone No stranger to politics, Boone has served as an MLA for Prince George from 1986-1991 in the Prince George North riding and then in the Prince George Mount Robson riding from 1991-2001. After stepping down from politics Boone was elected School Trustee of School District 57. In October of Last year, Boone announced that she would be seeking nomination as the Federal NDP candidate for the Prince George Peace River Riding. One of Boone’s goals if elected is to try and overturn the Harper-Campbell HST and remove the federal sales tax on home heating. For more information of these candidates and how to get involved with the party of your choice you can visit each of their websites, or look them up on Facebook. Voting for the 2011 Federal election takes place on May 2, 2011. If you or someone you know will be in transit or away from your district on this date there are many options at your disposal. Advanced voting dates are on April 22, 23, and 25 and will be open from noon to 8 P.M. To find the addresses of the nearest advanced polling station to you, visit . Registered voters can also vote by mail. ONLINE SOURCE Dick Harris: Conservative. ONLINE SOURCE Bob Zimmer: Conservative. Hedi Red]: Green Pary. Hilary Crowley: Green. ONLINE SOURCE Sangita Lallie: Liberal. ONLINE SOURCE Ben Levine: Liberal. ONLINE SOURCE ONLINE SOURCE Jon Van Barneveld: NDP. i &* ONLINE SOURCE ONLINE SOURCE Lois Boone: NDP.