Laura Lenoard, Genevieve Paterson and Sam Raven are all vying for one of six positions on Smithers council come October 15th.
If all are elected, it will be the first time Smithers council has been dominated by women. Each of them bring direct or indirect experience with politics in the Bulkley Valley and have been engaged in community affairs for years.
Lenorad, in particular, has a family connection as her mother was the first woman mayor of Smithers in the 1980s. Raven has worked with the NDP and is currently a constituency assistant to MLA Nathan Cullen, and ran for council in a 2020 byelection. Paterson has worked within the provincial government at a policy level for more than 15 years.
Listen to the full interviews below.