Sim to continue on as SD73 trustee after lot-drawing in Kamloops court

Oct 28, 2026 | 5:24 PM

KAMLOOPS — With the latest tie-breaker result in the 2026 municipal election, Clearwater can officially be called ‘Sim City’.

Mayor-elect Shelley Sim will continue to represent the North Thompson Valley on the Kamloops-Thompson School District (SD73) board, after she was declared the winner Wednesday (Oct. 28) afternoon in Kamloops.

Sim’s name was drawn after both she and challenger Lee Onslow were tied, forcing the school district to apply for a judicial recount to determine the trustee for Area 2 (North Thompson). A similar drawing of lots was also used to determine the mayor of Lytton, where challenger Jennifer Thoss emerged victorious over incumbent Denise O’Connor.

Preliminary results released by SD73 on Oct. 17 had Sim edging Onslow by three votes – 338 to 335. The school district later clarified that following an official recount both candidates received 337 “valid votes,” and that the deadlock would have to be broken by a judge.

In a statement Wednesday, SD73 said the judicial recount confirmed the tie between Sim and Onslow, who was acclaimed to her second term on the Thompson Nicola Regional District board last month.

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“As per section 151 of the Local Government Act and the Board’s Election Bylaw, the presiding judge proceeded with the drawing of lots which resulted in Trustee Shelley Sim being declared as trustee for Area 2 – North Thompson,” Chelsea Isenor, SD73’s director of communications said in an email.

This will be Sim’s fourth term as trustee on the SD73 board. She beat Willow MacDonald by 358 votes in 2014 and was then acclaimed to office in both 2018 and 2022.

Sim will be joined by incumbent trustees Cole Hickson, Heather Grieve, John O’Fee and Kathleen Karpuk along with newcomer Troylana Manson who were all elected to represent the City of Kamloops, while incumbent Cara McKelvey was elected in Area 5 (Logan Lake).

Newcomer Bronwen Bird and incumbent Diane Jules were also acclaimed in Area 3 (Barriere-Little Fort) and Area 4 (Chase) respectively.

Trustees will be sworn in on Monday (Nov. 2) when the SD73 board holds its inaugural meeting.

by Victor Kaisar

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Sim to continue on as SD73 trustee after lot-drawing in Kamloops court

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