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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 dates back to 2024, before Kealy was elected to the legislature.
Gail Barnes, the special prosecutor appointed in the case, told the court Monday that evidence disclosure is “substantially complete.”
Kealy says he’s innocent and elected to be tried by a jury in the B.C. Supreme Court.
“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, where about a half dozen supporters gathered with him.
“I look forward to being able to actually prove myself innocent in court and then hopefully my life can get back to normal.”
Independent MLA Jordan Kealy has been charged with sexual assault in connection with alleged offences that date back to 2024. As the CBC’s Katie DeRosa reports, some are calling on him to resign his seat.
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.
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.”
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.
