B.C. Votes 2022: Prince George, central and northern B.C. election results

Prince George voters have elected Simon Yu as mayor, making him the first person of colour to hold the position.

Yu's decisive win in a six-way race led a night of change across cities in central and northern B.C., where mayors in Prince George, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek, Terrace and Prince Rupert — most of whom had served two terms or more — had announced they would not be seeking re-election.

That's opened the door for change in a region that is facing challenges traditionally associated with larger metro centres, in particular the growth of homeless camps, open drug use and a rise in the cost of housing.

Results will be added as they become available. For official results, or results not included here, visit your local government website or CivicInfo B.C.

Prince George and the central Interior

In Prince George, Yu captured 40 per cent of the vote after campaigning on his career as an engineer and promising an analytical approach to the mayor's seat.

He promised to build emergency shelters for homeless people in Prince George, having previously helped construct temporary homes for survivors of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. He said he will approach the city's homeless crisis with "empathy."

Yu, a one-time federal Liberal candidate who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin, talked at election forums about his experience of immigrating to Canada from Hong Kong with "just two suitcases."

He came to Prince George in high school, and attended a boarding school with many Indigenous youth.

"I came here in 1975. I never, ever felt that I was an outsider," he told CBC News on election night, shortly after his victory. "I belong to the city of Prince George. Diversity is doing well here."

Among those Yu defeated in the six-way race for mayor was two-term councillor Terri McConnachie, who received 27 per cent of the vote.

Prince George mayor

Meanwhile, there was a major upset in Quesnel, where incumbent Bob Simpson — who previously represented the city as an MLA and served two terms as mayor — was defeated by longtime councillor Ron Paull.

Vanderhoof's new mayor elect is Kevin Moutray. Longtime mayor Gary Thiessen did not run for re-election.

Northwest

In Prince Rupert, Herb Pond was elected mayor, having previously served in the role from 2002 to 2008. He'll replace Lee Brain, who chose not to run again after serving a single term as mayor.

In Terrace, former councillor Sean Bujtas has been acclaimed to office after running unopposed for mayor.

Northeast

The largest city in B.C.'s Peace region will also see new leadership, with Lori Ackerman leaving Fort St. John city hall, having decided not to run again after serving 11 years as mayor and another 17 as a councillor.

Lilia Hansen will be replacing Lori Ackerman as mayor, after beating out two other contenders and receiving about 65 percent of the vote. Hansen was the only candidate with experience holding elected office, having served as a councillor since 2017.

The rest of Fort St John's city council will stay the same, with Sarah MacDougall filling Hansen's seat.

Dawson Creek is also getting a new mayor after Dale Bumstead chose to leave the job after two terms. Darcy Dober has won with 85 per cent of the vote over Shaely Wilbur, a council member since 2011.