You may have heard that I’ve put my name in the hat to be your next MLA. That is, the guy who represents you, and the Shuswap area in general, at the provincial level in Victoria. But I need your help. I have two elections to win in order to be ‘that guy’. The first is within the BC United Party itself, right now, and the second is the Provincial election to be held in October 2024.

You may not know that the Liberal party of BC has changed their name. I think they were becoming uncomfortable with the ‘Liberal’ word and being associated with the federal Liberals of Justin Trudeau. So, they changed their name to BC United, but they are still the same centre-right leaning party of moderate conservatives. You can check them out at www.votebcunited.ca.

There are 4 people running to be the BC United representative for the Shuswap riding, I am one of them. People have been asking me, ‘Why do you want to do that?’, usually with an incredulous tone. There are a few reasons:

• Timing and opportunity – I have a bit of a head of steam here since the fire, people know my name and my actions during the fire. I guess you love that I stuck around or you hate it, but I sure appreciate the comments from so many people here in the North Shuswap. It’s an opportunity for me and the community and the timing is right, now or never.
• The CSRD is not the only level of government that controls our North Shuswap destiny. The Province is in charge of roads, health care, housing, policing, education, our incorporation, BC Parks and many other areas that impact our lives. The CSRD is the one we’re most in-touch with but the province pulls the CSRD strings too. If you want to play with the big kids, you have to be in their sandbox.
• The next Provincial election is slated for October 2024 so there’s almost a year for the North Shuswap to get back on its feet. Many processes are now in place for that to happen and I’ll be working to keep that momentum through 2024 and beyond. This was one of my biggest concerns when considering this jump.

These aren’t all the reasons, and I’d be happy to chat with you about it anytime.

The other election is the Provincial one that is supposed to happen in October of 2024. This is not really on my radar right now; I first have to be nominated as the BC United representative for the Shuswap riding. And this is where I need your help.

In order to win the nomination, I need two things from you. First, I need to sell memberships in the BC United party. I need to show that there is support for my bid. This is a pretty simple process, it costs $10, and you’ll be a member for 4 years. Second, I’ll need you to actually vote for me in the party Nomination Meeting which will be held in January. So, two things I need from you, spend $10 to join the BC United Party, and come to a meeting in January and vote for me.

The North Shuswap is my home, it always will be. I’ll also be representing places like Enderby, Sicamous, Salmon Arm. But the rural areas are my focus. If I am given the opportunity to represent you in Victoria, I will be concentrating on rural issues and all those things that would make life better and easier in rural areas like the North Shuswap. This is my passion.

If you think that having someone from the North Shuswap be ‘your guy’ in Victoria would be a good idea, then back me up please. I can’t do it alone.  I’ll be at the Hub Wednesday afternoon at 3-5pm, or maybe longer. I’d be happy to chat with you about what this means for you, and the North Shuswap. I can help you get signed up for BC United, and you can help me by letting me know what you think is most important for our future.

Link to BC United membership application: https://secure.votebcunited.ca/member