UPDATE 5:45 p.m Genevieve Ring says Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu should be recalled because she is part of the NDP government that has failed British Columbians on the critical issues of COVID-19 and health care. Ring says she’s not ready to wait until the next election, scheduled for fall 2024, to make changes to improve health care. Sandhu, who could not immediately be reached for comment, worked as a registered nurse at Vernon’s Royal Jubilee Hospital before being elected in 2020 to represent Vernon-Monashee. “There must be some duty they feel to the people they’re supposed to represent and he’s done nothing,” Ring said, referring to Sandhu. “I would say the NDP has damaged it all these two years and is part of it.” The Canadian Press ORIGINAL 3:35 p.m A recall petition has been launched against Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu. Elections BC says in a press release that it received a petition that met the requirements of the Recall and Initiative Act. These requirements are not too onerous. “Under the Recall and Initiative Act, any registered voter in British Columbia can file a recall petition for their electoral district. They must submit an application form, a $50 processing fee, and a statement of 200 words or less about why they believe that the member must be recalled,” says Elections BC. A repeal advocate is Genevieve Ring. No reason was given for Ring’s request. Elections BC says applications must be approved if the statutory requirements are met and that it does not have the discretion to assess applications against other criteria. The petition will be issued on August 12, when registered researchers can start collecting signatures. However, there are currently no researchers registered for the report. Results must be returned to Elections BC no later than October 11th. To be successful, such reports must pass a high bar. Investigators must collect signatures from 40% or more of eligible voters – that’s 21,268 names in Vernon-Monacy. The campaign has a spending limit of $37,046. After the petition is submitted, Elections BC has 42 days to verify the signatures. In the event of a successful recall, the seat of the recalled member remains vacant and a re-election must be called within 90 days. BC’s chief electoral officer has approved 26 previous recall petitions since the law came into force in 1995. Only six of those reports were returned to Elections BC for verification. Of these, five did not have enough valid signatures and one was stopped during the verification process because the member resigned.