The B.C. Green Party is resuming its leadership campaign after suspending it March 27 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sat Harwood, chair of the provincial council, announced June 15 that, "registered candidates may resume campaigning immediately."
When the campaign was suspended, only two candidates had filed their papers and passed the party's screening-Cowichan Valley MLA Sonia Furstenau and former Powell River-Sunshine Coast candidate Kim Darwin.
The party said new candidates will be able to apply to enter the race between June 26 to July 27 and the leadership vote will be held Sept. 5 to 13.
The party is also making some changes to the rules, including shortening the timeline, lowering the fee for candidates and cutting the number of official debates to one.
"The entire world has faced a harrowing pandemic that is not yet over. But we expect some reprieve over the summer, and so, with caution and safety being our top priority, we will complete our leadership contest by mid-September," Harwood said.
Green Party interim leader Adam Olsen said, "This leadership contest is no longer just an opportunity to renew our party. It is an opportunity to renew our province and world. Bold, innovative leadership is badly needed, and I am certain that our next leader will rise to this challenge."
The suspension of the leadership race came just 10 days after Darwin, who has also served as president of the local riding association and member of the party's provincial council, announced her leadership bid.
She said at the time she fully supported the party's decision and "looked forward to a spirited race in the near future."
In a release sent shortly after the party's June 15 announcement, Darwin said she was "thrilled" the leadership contest is officially back on and was resuming her campaign with "a redoubled commitment to lead the B.C. Green Party out of one of the most difficult periods in recent memory."
"There is more interest in the B.C. Green Party right now than at any point in our history. We've been right on the climate for 30 years, and we're right now. In fact, the time for us is precisely right now," Darwin said.
Furstenau also released a statement, saying she welcomed the resumption of the campaign and that "as B.C. moves towards recovery from COVID-19, we need an equitable, sustainable renewal to make our province stronger."
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