All candidates for B.C.'s 50th general election are now confirmed.
The candidate nomination period closed at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 26.
There are 376 candidates representing 19 political parties, independents and individuals not affiliated with a registered party.
The Liberal and NDP parties are each fielding 85 candidates - a candidate in every provincial riding, the Green Party has 61 candidates, the Conservatives 56 and there are 35 independent candidates.
In Powell River-Sunshine Coast the candidates are incumbent NDP MLA Nicholas Simons, Liberal Patrick Muncaster and Green Richard Till.
Voting is available at district electoral offices, by mail, at any advance voting place May 8 to 11, and at any general voting place Tuesday, May 14.
For more information visit the Elections BC office at 5712 Teredo Street in Sechelt. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Vaccinate now, before school starts?
To prevent outbreaks like whooping cough last fall, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) is reminding all parents of children starting kindergarten this fall to make sure that their vaccinations are up-to-date before their little ones start school.
All children, starting at age four, should get the Tdap-IPV vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and polio. Children should also receive a booster shot for chicken pox (varicella).
"Vaccines are the best way to protect children against these serious and sometimes fatal diseases," said Dr. Meena Dawar, Medical Health Officer for VCH. "While most of these infections are now rare in B.C. because of routine childhood vaccination programs, the whooping cough outbreak this past fall in our region and in the Fraser Valley is a reminder that these illnesses are still around and can spread quickly among those who are unprotected."
The free booster shots can be obtained from family doctors or from public health nurses at VCH community health centres.
For a map of clinic locations see http://bit.ly/ZLiul3.
