Fil-Canadian artist Ovvian Castrillo-Hill brings community and culture to Fort St. John council race

Floyd Brenz., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
October 09, 2026

Photo Courtesy: Fort St. John

Filipino-Canadian artist, writer and filmmaker Ovvian Castrillo-Hill is taking her years of community involvement into municipal politics, running as an independent candidate for Fort St. John City Council in the October 17, 2026 general local election.

A longtime Fort St. John resident, Castrillo-Hill has built her career around arts, culture, community engagement and settlement work. The City of Fort St. John says she has volunteered in the community since 2009 and has worked in the settlement and integration sector for seven years.

Her work extends across several community organizations. She serves as a director of the North Peace Filipino Canadian Association, Fort St. John Community Arts Council, Arts North East and ArtsBC, connecting her Filipino-Canadian background with her involvement in the city’s broader cultural and community life.

Castrillo-Hill also comes from a prominent Philippine artistic family. She began sculpting under the guidance of her late father, Eduardo Castrillo, the renowned Filipino sculptor behind works including the EDSA People Power Monument. The City of Fort St. John notes that she has developed her own sculptural practice using metals and other materials, with her work displayed in Canada and internationally.

Her contributions to Fort St. John include “Drum of Concordia,” an interactive temporary public artwork created to represent harmony among the different cultures that make up the community. She was also selected as the city’s 2023 CreateSpace Public Art resident, further connecting her artistic work with community engagement.

Castrillo-Hill has also been involved in initiatives highlighting the city’s multicultural character. She was a key organizer of the Fort St. John World Fair, which returned in 2026 as a celebration of the diversity of the community.

As a council candidate, Castrillo-Hill says she wants to bring a “fresh perspective” to municipal government and represent residents and sectors she believes are currently underrepresented at council. Her priorities include strengthening community connections, supporting arts and culture, encouraging economic opportunities and using creative industries and tourism as potential areas of development.

She has also emphasized mindful municipal spending, calling for stronger data collection and analysis to help the city determine what residents and communities need. Her campaign places particular attention on ensuring that decisions reflect a broader range of voices.

Arts and culture have been a recurring theme in her campaign. At a September candidates forum organized by the Fort St. John Community Arts Council, Castrillo-Hill spoke in support of municipal funding for a library that could serve newcomers, describing such a facility as a place where newcomers can better understand life in Canada while also creating opportunities for community connection and addressing anti-hate and anti-racism concerns.

Castrillo-Hill is one of 11 candidates competing for six Fort St. John council seats in the 2026 election. The official candidate list includes her alongside John Lambert, Jim Lequiere, Sarah MacDougall, Gord Klassen, Kevin Stigners, Tony Zabinsky, Jane Drew, Lucas Wuthrich and Avery Cox.

The Fort St. John election will be held on October 17, 2026, with voters choosing one mayor and six councillors, alongside school board trustees and a referendum question concerning a proposed new aquatic facility.

For Castrillo-Hill, the campaign brings together her Filipino-Canadian identity, artistic career, community advocacy and years of work in Fort St. John, as she seeks to turn that experience into a role in local government. Her candidacy is also part of a broader group of Filipino-Canadian candidates running for municipal and school board positions across British Columbia in 2026.