“It is my great pleasure to announce Stephanie Hendy as our candidate for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream” said B.C. Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau. “Stephanie is a fierce advocate for community resources and services, with a keen awareness of how urban areas are often prioritized over rural areas. I am inspired by her determination to work to close this gap, and to ensure access to healthcare, recreation, and community support is the best it can be for her community. It’s definitely something we need more of in the legislature.”
“I am so excited to be the B.C. Green Party candidate for this riding,” said Hendy. “It’s a beautiful part of the province with a vibrant community that deserves so much more attention from the government, and I intend to make that difference. As someone who works with people who have chronic health conditions every day, the BC NDP’s shortcomings and inconsistencies are all too obvious. Healthcare has become divisive, unequal and unreliable in this province. People with disabilities and chronic illnesses in more rural areas are often left to fend for themselves without the support they need.
“A large part of this is because politics is often focused on urban areas. Our legislature is in Victoria, and the province’s biggest cities get prime consideration in a lot of policy decisions. When I moved from Vancouver to the Okanagan in 2021, the gap in services became abundantly clear to me. It leaves a lot of communities without vital services to ensure their wellbeing is looked after. Regional transit is lacking, healthcare services are limited and organized recreational activities are sparse. This divide needs to be addressed in the legislature, and I’m excited by the opportunity to do that alongside Sonia.”
Stephanie has been involved in B.C. politics since 2015, when she began advocating to remove the age restriction from government-funded insulin pumps. Her campaign was successful in 2018, providing a vital resource to people with diabetes across the province. Stephanie’s ambition to improve access to life-saving care has put her at the forefront of the battle to improve healthcare in this province.
“Now more than ever, we need Green leadership. The current government is disappointing British Columbians over and over again, from failing to implement the Old Growth Strategic Review recommendations, to continuing to ignore DRIPA to pursue Site C. We need leadership that is focused on action, rather than talking, and collaboration, rather than fighting. The Okanagan needs a bold climate leader to better safeguard our citizens against forest fires, drought and food insecurity with aggressive legislative reform. Our region and our planet are running out of time.”
“Stephanie is the ideal candidate for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream. Her desire to have a positive impact on people’s lives is deep-rooted, and her personal experience of accessing care for diabetes has given her a crucial insight into what it’s like to face our province’s failing healthcare system head-on,” added Furstenau. “Her unwavering commitment to the wellbeing of her community sets an impressive precedent for the future of politics in British Columbia. She is recognised as a hard-working, compassionate leader in her community, and I know she will bring those same qualities and more to her work as an MLA.”
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Stephanie Hendy Bio
Stephanie was born and raised in Vancouver, BC, and moved to the Okanagan in July 2021, to better support her active lifestyle.
With a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology with a focus on Active Health and Rehabilitation from Simon Fraser University, Stephanie has spent the last 14 years of her career working in providing exercise prescriptions and lifestyle coaching for people with various chronic health conditions as well as the general population. She has spent the most recent 3 years working in disability management.
Stephanie currently sits on the Vernon Climate Action Advisory Committee, an advisory body to the City of Vernon Mayor and Council to ensure the city follows best practice in choosing actions present and future with climate considerations. She also currently volunteers with projects initiating from Vernon's Climate Action Now! group and the Okanagan Transit Alliance. Stephanie has previously volunteered on the local Green candidate's campaign in the last federal election and with the Vancouver Tenants' Union subcommittee Rent Strike Bargain.