Hannah Bell wins P.E.I. Green Party nomination to run in byelection

Hannah Bell has won the Green Party of P.E.I. nomination to run in a pending byelection for District 11, Charlottetown-Parkdale.

Bell defeated Karla Bernard by a vote of 72 to 22 at the party's nomination meeting held Monday in the basement of the Murphy Centre in Charlottetown.

They were the only candidates seeking the nomination.

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"This has been such an incredible experience and I am really honoured to have been selected as the candidate," she said.

'A byelection is an opportunity to send a message'

She said her career has given her a "really good range of lived experience" that makes her a good fit as a candidate.

Bell holds an MBA in Innovative Management from UPEI and has 30 years of experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors in Canada and the United Kingdom.

She's the Green Party of P.E.I.'s shadow finance critic and is currently the executive director of the PEI Business Women's Association.

"A byelection is an opportunity to send a message," she said.

"This is a chance for us to be really clear what that message is which is that the Green Party is strong, the Green Party has staying power, we're at the table and we intend to make a difference right now. It's going to be a very exciting time."

Green Party of P.E.I. Leader Peter Bevan-Baker and deputy leader Lynne Lund were in attendance for the meeting, which packed the room to capacity.

Former education minister Doug Currie abruptly announced his resignation as MLA for the riding Oct. 19.

Premier Wade MacLauchlan has six months to call a byelection.

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