Hadden Kelloway elected Sparwood's first openly transgender mayor in British Columbia

Hadden Kelloway, 65, won the mayoral seat in Sparwood during the 2026 municipal election. He captured 70 percent of the community's vote in a landslide victory.

Kelloway is a transgender man who began his transition in 2011. He is the first mayor in British Columbia to publicly come out as a transgender person.

“They didn't care that I was transgender. They only care about me as a person.”

Sparwood is a rural community of 4,200 residents in southeastern British Columbia, less than an hour from the Alberta border. The town has a reputation as a right-wing conservative mining community.

Kelloway was born in Gambo, Newfoundland, and has lived in Sparwood for 32 years. He retired after a long career at the local mine and sought a way to get involved in the community.

Residents supported him throughout a six-year medical process involving testosterone therapy and surgery. He was open about being transgender from the start and shared his experience with students and at the Women's Resource Centre in Fernie.

Kelloway said honesty and transparency mattered most to voters. He stated that residents cared about him as a person, not his transgender identity.