A northern B.C. MLA charged with sexual assault says he wants to be tried by a jury of his peers.
Jordan Kealy, who represents the riding of Peace River North, made a brief first appearance in Fort St. John provincial court on Monday.
The B.C. Prosecution Service announced the charge last month, saying the alleged offence happened between January and September of 2024, before Kealy was elected to the legislature.
It’s appointed Gail Barnes as special prosecutor, who told the court Monday that most of the evidence in the case has now been disclosed.
Kealy says he hopes to prove his innocence to a jury, opting for a Supreme Court trial during Monday’s brief three-minute hearing, where about a half dozen of his friends and supporters filled the small courtroom.
More stories from Northern B.C.
B.C. MLA Jordan Kealy charged with sexual assault in Fort St. John
“I’m innocent until proven guilty and I’m not guilty, and I’m going to continue to do my job,” Kealy said outside the courthouse.
“I look forward to being able to actually prove myself innocent in court and then hopefully my life can get back to normal.”
A first-time MLA elected under former B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad, Kealy left the caucus in 2025 and now sits as an Independent.
Kealy says he won’t be stepping down as MLA while he fights the charge, and that he’s covering the costs of his legal defence.
“The money that my wife and I were saving for surgery for her neck is now having to go and pay for a lawyer, and this was a surgery that wasn’t offered by our own medical system.”
Kealy dismissed calls from Premier David Eby for him to resign.
“I have the right to defend myself against those accusations, and I will, and I’ll prove that they’re wrong.”
B.C. MLA Jordan Kealy charged with sexual assault in Fort St. John
The prosecution service says Barnes, based in Vancouver, was assigned to the case in February to “avoid any potential for real or perceived improper influence in the administration of justice considering the nature of the allegations and the identity of the accused as an elected public official.”
A publication ban prevents media from publishing any information that could identify a complainant or witness in the proceedings.
Kealy will make his next appearance in B.C. Supreme Court on Aug. 10.
Subscribe to CBC’s Fort St. John Weekly for a roundup of the best news and stories from B.C.’s Peace and Northern Rockies.
