CIVIC ELECTION – No shortage of candidates as nominations now open

They’re off and running for the Oct. 17 civic election. With nominations now open for municipal, regional district and school board positions, candidates have wasted no time getting their papers in.

As of end of day Friday (Sept/ 4, 2026), 15 hopefuls have filed their packages for Kamloops City council, and four for mayor. As well, candidates have officially declared themselves for most of the electoral areas in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

Deadline for submitting nomination papers is Friday, Sept.11 at 4 p.m. Here’s the list of candidates so far (incumbents are designated with an X):

Kamloops Mayor: Nelly Dever, Ray Dhaliwal, Mike O’Reilly (Dever and Dhaliwal are former councillors, O’Reilly is an incumbent councillor)

Kamloops council: Brian Andrews, Dale Bass (X), Nancy Bepple (X), Rob Bertrand, Kathrine Blair-Wunderlich, Steve Bucher, Dennis Giesbrecht, Kelly Hall (X), Margot Middleton (X), Christopher Mitra, Katie Neustaeter (X), Jesse Ritcey, Bill Sarai (X), Cindy Sonne, Randy Sunderman

Electoral Area B (Thompson Headwaters): Lee Onslow (X)

Electoral Area E (Bonaparte Plateau): Jim Smith (X), Sally Watson

Electoral Area I (Blue Sky Country): Steven Rice, Tricia Thorpe (X)

Electoral Area J (Copper Desert Country): Michael Grenier (X)

Electoral Area M (Beautiful Nicola Valley-North): Jim Harvey

Electoral Area N (Beautiful Nicola Valley-South): Linda Brown

Electoral Area O (Lower North Thompson): Jill Hayward (X)

Electoral Area P (Rivers and the Peaks): Cory George, Lee Morris (X)

School District 73 Board (Area 1 – Kamloops): Katherine Gulley, Jo Kang (X), Kathleen Karpuk (X), Bonnie McBride, Troylana Manson