Not long after the snap election was called here in BC, Sarah Zimmerman, who’s served on Terrace’s City Council, announced that she would be running for the position of Skeena MLA as the representative for the BC NDP.
Zimmerman recently took the time to talk to us about several subjects relating to her candidacy, including why she decided to run again after coming up short in the 2024 election as well as what she’s done during her time on City Council that she believes qualifies her to be an MLA;
“I’ve been working towards this for ten years. I love provincial politics and the last four years of being on municipal council have been the most rewarding years of my career. Being able to be in the community and move the dial on really important things, like advocating alongside other people for detox and continuing a legacy of advocacy for the Ksyen Regional Hospital, the Northwest Regional Benefits Alliance, that is something that benefits 21 communities across multiple ridings. And it was the BC NDP that recognized that communities like Terrace and others that don’t have industry need to benefit from the taxation and benefits that come with big industry. I’m most proud of that, it’s taken about 16 years to get there and 21 communities are benefiting from that. so I think we really need to acknowledge it’s not something people really see or understand on a regular basis, but it is a critical piece of investment in the North.”
Zimmerman also went onto describe how she’ll address a couple of other major Northwestern problems, housing affordability as well as the Highway of Tears;
“We’re all feeling the pinch of affordability, it’s probably the number one issue that I hear from folks on the ground. And I’m a parent with kids, I know exactly what it’s like to have to choose between buying certain groceries and making sure you have gas in the car to get your kids to school. These are the choices that people in Skeena are making and I think we’re on the right track in terms of the work we’re doing. I’ve heard talk Trump and Tariffs and I think when we boil it down to how we feel that here in Skeena, we know that aluminium, forestry and other industries are under attack. We also know that closer to home, when we see $65 steaks in the grocery store and when gas is reaching $1.89 or $1.99, these are everyday things that we’re feeling and I think we have to stand up to that. That’s one approach that we’ll be making to ensure we’re looking after British Columbians on an everyday basis, especially here in Skeena. And as for another big issue, I drive Highway 16 all the time and I remember distinctly when Tamara Chipman went missing. These are things that impact people in our neighbourhoods and communities all across the Skeena riding. I think one of the things we have to look at are the recommendations that were made around the calls to justice, to address murdered and missing indigenous women. There is a lot of calls to justice that haven’t been acted on and that’s an opportunity for us to re-visit those calls and see how we can implement some of them at a provincial level.”
And even with the race between the two of them being a close one last time, Zimmerman next talked about the challenge of trying to unseat the incumbent Skeena MLA, Claire Rattée, and how she believes can she do it;
“Going up against an incumbent is always tough. Claire does her job as an opposition critic but I think what I bring to the table is a track record of bringing people together. A track record of working with people at the provincial and federal level to get things done. I come at things in a collaborative way with solutions and bringing people together. That’s what I can promise people moving forward. I’d also say that since 2024, we haven’t stopped working. The NDP in Skeena is very active, we’ve got members all across the riding, people are excited to start working on the campaign and we’re ready to go.”