A Nanaimo-Lantzville political candidate, asked if she had any enemies when her car was set fire, replied that she imagines she鈥檚 made a few.

A compact car belonging to Gwen O鈥橫ahony, who ran for the Conservative Party of B.C. in last year鈥檚 provincial election, was set fire near her home in the Nanaimo hospital area last week.

According to a police press release, Nanaimo Fire Rescue called RCMP after responding to the intersection of Summerhill Place and Dufferin Crescent at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 11.

O鈥橫ahony said a police officer at the scene told her that there were logs placed under her car and asked her if she had any enemies, and she mentioned that she had been a political candidate and had been speaking up on a lot of controversial issues.

"There's certainly groups I could have agitated, because I've been very outspoken about safer supply, harm reduction, online I've been called transphobic by people because I was [at the B.C. legislature] for the [vote on the Fairness in Women's and Girls' Sports Act]."

O鈥橫ahony had been interviewed by alternative media earlier in the week about church arsons, calling them anti-Christian hate crimes, and the interview had been posted the day of her car fire.

The former NDP MLA in the Fraser Valley said in all her years in politics, she鈥檚 never felt personally threatened, but said there鈥檚 a level of animosity now that she鈥檚 never experienced before. Calling people names like a 鈥済enocider or a hater of a certain group鈥� carries a lot of weight and is a dangerous route to go, she suggested.

鈥淚 think that a number of people who have certain political views right now, especially on the left, tend to operate in an echo chamber, so their ideas don鈥檛 get challenged,鈥� O鈥橫ahony said. 鈥淚 think this is a disturbing trend that we鈥檝e seen in B.C. and across Canada. If anybody challenges an idea, they get called a name and it gets personal, rather than addressing the actual issue itself.鈥�

She said the personal attacks haven鈥檛 discouraged her from speaking up, and if anything, she鈥檚 become better at ignoring them.

鈥淚 believe that you stay consistent and true to your message and that鈥檚 the best route to go,鈥� she said.

Investigators are asking any motorists in the area to review their dash camera footage and report anything suspicious to the Nanaimo RCMP non-emergency line at 250-754-2345, referring to file No. 2025-4083.

editor@nanaimobulletin.com