Former Greater Victoria school board trustee Charley Beresford is now the third person to declare her intention to seek the federal NDP nomination in the upcoming Victoria byelection.

Beresford made the announcement this morning via a press release.

"We donB次元官网网址檛 need pipelines and oil tankers, we need the Canadian government to be a leader in fighting climate change not a leader in creating pollution,B次元官网网址� Beresford said.

Michael Byers, a University of B.C. political scientist and provincial co-chair of Thomas MulcairB次元官网网址檚 NDP leadership campaign, will be supporting Beresford in her bid.

Beresford will face competition from Murray Rankin, an environmental lawyer and former University of Victoria law professor, as well as former Oak Bay-Gordon Head MLA and finance minister Elizabeth Cull.

NDP members will select their candidate Oct. 14.

Beresford is currently executive director of the Columbia Institute, a research and public policy institute focused on leadership for sustainable communities.

She served as a Greater Victoria school board trustee for 12 years, from 1996 to 2008, including two years as chair of the board.

The Victoria byelection was called after Denise Savoie stepped down Aug. 31 for health reasons. The byelection date has not yet been set by the federal government.

dpalmer@vicnews.com