There will be a nomination fight to become the BC Conservative candidate in the Fort Langley-Aldergrove riding.

On Thursday, Rick Manuel threw his hat into the ring and announced he would run, challenging Nazreen Burns [“Office worker wants to take on Coleman,” Jan. 29, 2013, Langley Advance].

“It’s definitely time for a change,” said Manuel, in a statement announcing his candidacy.

He said the BC Conservatives are a viable alternative for those not comfortable voting for the NPD, but who are disillusioned with the province’s governing Liberals.

A former superintendent with the B.C. Ambulance Service, Manuel said he has done a number of jobs in Crown agencies.

“I have been fortunate to have a varied career which has produced valuable contacts, skills, and abilities in leadership and management within large public service entities,” Manuel said. “These assets could be very useful for the constituency in terms of a position within government.”

Local issues he’s worried about include infrastructure, spending and tax increases, and a lack of public transit.

He also came out swinging on the current government’s “dysfunctional approach to Hydro electric meters.”

The ongoing controversy about SmartMeter installation has drawn opposition from a number of Langley residents.

Manuel ran in the 2011 Township council election, placing 25th out of a crowded field of 27 candidates.

He and Burns, and any other possible candidates, will try to land the job of running for the Conservatives on Feb. 13 at a nomination meeting in Aldergrove.

The next provincial election will be held on May 14.

BC Conservative party leader John Cummins will be representing his party in the Langley riding.