Prince George, BC 2026 Municipal Election Candidates

Ernesto Caranto

• Public transportation: Proposes major improvements to public transit, including a Japanese-style bullet train connecting Prince George to Vancouver ("maybe in three hours, you can be in Vancouver")
• Downtown crime: Addressing crime in the downtown core alongside transit improvements
• Community engagement: Summarized neutrally as community engagement and local issues

Lean assessment: BCNU (nurses' union) endorsement plus a big-public-investment transit platform; no party affiliation and thin platform, so rating is provisional.

Marc Carrier

• Business-friendly city hall: Pledges a business-friendly approach in his mayoral bid
• City development: Summarized neutrally as city development and community priorities

Lean assessment: Only verified campaign signal is a 'business-friendly approach' pledge (MyPGNow/Vista Radio); no party affiliation.

Randy Danchuk

• Public safety: Summarized neutrally as public safety and community well-being; no detailed positions publicly available

Garth Frizzell

• Fiscal responsibility: Emphasizes experienced, steady leadership with fiscal discipline and long-term (not headline-driven) decision-making
• Downtown revitalization: Downtown economics and revitalization are a stated focus
• Housing growth: Sprawl vs. density; focusing housing development where the city needs it most

Lean assessment: No party affiliation; business founder background and fiscal-responsibility messaging balanced by community-service volunteering and national municipal advocacy through FCM; pragmatic centrist municipal record.

Keenan Murphy

• Innovation and youth engagement: Summarized neutrally as innovation, youth engagement, and community development; no detailed positions publicly available

Zachariah Olson

• Community representation: Summarized neutrally as community representation and local advocacy
• Human rights (Gaza/Palestine): Only mayoral candidate endorsed by 2 Rivers 4 Palestine for recognizing the situation in Gaza and its connection to the community; has joined their weekly pro-Palestine demonstrations

Lean assessment: Endorsed by the progressive activist group 2 Rivers 4 Palestine and joined its demonstrations; platform otherwise thin, so rating is provisional.

Kyle Sampson

• Economic opportunity: Attract investment, create good jobs, build more housing; position Prince George as one of Western Canada's leading regional centres
• Public safety: Coordinated response to crime, addiction, mental health and public disorder rooted in accountability, compassion and practical solutions
• Affordability and quality of life: Protect affordability, services, neighbourhood character and quality of life as the city grows

Lean assessment: Pro-business economic platform with balanced 'accountability plus compassion' public-safety messaging; no party affiliation.

Roy Stewart

• Housing: Housing among his stated 2026 priorities
• Public safety: Public safety among his stated 2026 priorities
• Economic development: Economic development and business support among his stated priorities

Lean assessment: Fiscal-conservative messaging (tax-hike criticism in past campaigns), pro-business stance, enforcement-oriented public-safety positions; no party affiliation.

Simon Yu

• Economic growth: Make Prince George Northern BC's business and investment centre ("The North Starts Here", PG 100 CEO/investor outreach, economic diversification and job creation)
• Public safety and homelessness: Navigation Centre detox-to-rehabilitation pilot, stronger enforcement to reclaim streets/parks, 'Safe Spaces PG', zoning review; claims both major encampments peacefully decamped and Crime Severity Index improved from highest in BC (2022) to fifth
• Fiscal discipline: Four-year strategic plan, Mayor & Council community cabinet, restore the Auditor General for local governments, fiscal discipline and transparency; claims reserves grew $133.6M to $189.3M (2022-2025)

Lean assessment: Fiscal-accountability platform, business-leader identity, enforcement-oriented public-safety messaging; no party affiliation.