Barriere Mayor Ward Stamer has announced his intention to run for the Conservative Party nomination in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.

Image Credit: District of Barriere

A notable figure in the Kamloops region's political scene has joined the race for the Conservative Party nomination in Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.

District of Barriere mayor Ward Stamer is the fourth candidate in the race to replace MP Cathy McLeod, following Bev DeSantis, Mike Grenier and Frank Caputo.

McLeod announced in February she intends to step aside from federal office when the next election is held.

Stamer says his political experience makes him a tough candidate to beat.

"As for the other candidates, I don't know too much about all of them," Stamer says. "I know none of them have any political experience... you've got to be able to stick a candle through a lot of this stuff. There's a lot of bureaucracy. And there's a lot of, I wouldn't call it BS, but there is. And you have to be able to keep yourself focused, trying to determine what's best for the people in your region."

Stamer worked for most of his life in logging, and was elected to Barriere council in 2007 and mayor in 2018. He also served as chair of the local improvement district in charge of water, fire services, solid waste and street lights before Barriere was incorporated in 2007.

He says he wants to promote strong fiscal policy and transparency in government, aboriginal reconciliation and a collective strategy that he feels is needed for the tourism and hospitality industries hit hard during the pandemic to get those people back to work when restrictions are lifted.

As for his style of communication, Stamer says, "I'm probably a little too straight forward for some people but what you see is what you get."

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