The BC Green Party has its candidate for the Kamloops-North Thompson ahead of the Oct. 24 election.

Thomas Martin will run against the incumbent BC Liberal candidate Peter Milobar and the NDP’s Sadie Hunter.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Martin moved to Kamloops in 2011 to work as a wildfire fighter. The party says he used that job to put himself through UBC, where he studied natural resource sciences.

In his current role as Wildfire Project Manager for Cabin Resource Management, Martin leads various wildfire related forestry projects including wildfire risk reduction projects, Community Wildfire Protection Plans, and supervising forestry operations.

“I work in forestry and I want a better future for our natural resource sector,” he said, in a statement. “I believe we can have a resource sector that strengthens rural communities through economic development, makes evidence-based ecologically sound decisions, and strives for reconciliation and collaboration with Indigenous peoples.”

Martin left wildfire fighting in 2016 for other jobs in forestry including planning harvesting in coastal old-growth on Vancouver Island, flying drones for surveys in Clearwater, and wildfire fighting during the 2017 and 2018 fire seasons.

And despite Oct. 24 being election, Martin still plans to marry his fiancée in a small civil ceremony that day.

The Green Party also announced a candidate in the Fraser-Nicola riding. Jonah Timms will run against the incumbent BC Liberal Jackie Tegart and the NDP’s Aaron Sumexheltza.

Announcing our next list of outstanding candidates! “I am inspired by the passion and dedication of the candidates who have stepped forward during a pandemic snap election,” said leader @SoniaFurstenau. #bcpoli #bcelexn2020

Read more: https://t.co/fWt0d9Wyj2 pic.twitter.com/PK8J6oOJtB

— BC Green Party (@BCGreens) September 29, 2020