FILE PHOTO

(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

The BC Conservative Party added two Kamloops riding associations as it aims to be a contender in the next provincial election.

Party leader John Rustad, Nechako Lakes MLA, joined the party earlier this year and is making steps to bring Conservative candidates across the province.

Some of the people in the associations may be familiar to Kamloops area voters, as former federal candidate for the People's Party of Canada, Corally Delwo, takes on the regional director role for the Central Interior and Columbia regions, according to a BC Conservative Party news release.

“We will be a strong contender in the next provincial election. Our riding associations will be out in the community, sharing and promoting the BC Conservatives, and letting people know they have a new option for government," Delwo said in the news release.

READ MORE: 'Outrageous,' says B.C. Premier Eby, who blasts Conservative leader's first question

Kamloops man Glenn Aalderink was placed as vice-president of the Kamloops Centre riding. He was active in the local anti-vaccine mandate community, helping to organize multiple protests over the past few years. Trained as a licensed practice nurse, Aalderink opened Ezra Wellness in 2021, a clinic initially intended to to hire suspended healthcare workers that were not vaccinated for COVID-19.

Kamloops Centre riding president will be Miguel Romero, with Peter Mehrgert serving as director-at-large.

Kamloops-North Thompson will include Richard Henderson as president and Alan Forseth as vice president. Jeffery Dilley, Roger Wood, Teresa MacIsaac and Tim Clackburn will serve as directors-at-large. Mae Romero is the treasurer for both ridings.

The party did not announce any candidates for the Kamloops ridings or announce plans to choose them.

READ MORE: It's a three-way race for the BC United nomination in Kelowna-Lake Country

Later this month, the party will also host founding meetings for riding associations in both the Salmon Arm-Shuswap riding and Fraser-Nicola, according to the news release.

The Conservative Party expects to run a full slate of 93 candidates in the next provincial election, but it currently only has two MLAs in the legislature. Both Rustad and Abbotsford South MLA Bruce Banman were elected to their seats as BC Liberals (now BC United).

Before Rustad crossed the floor to join the Conservatives earlier this year, he was ejected from the BC Liberals for his anti-climate change views.

In his first question in legislature as BC Conservative leader, Rustad used his opportunity to as the government to get rid of SOGI123 policies in schools.

Premier David Eby rebuked the premise entirely, telling Rustad to choose another question.

"To come into this place and use the authority of his office, his new party, to find a small group of kids to leverage that, to make them feel less safe in our schools, less safe in our communities, to feed the fires of division in our province and bring a culture war to B.C., it is not welcome," Eby said.

The Conservative Party website lists anti-SOGI policies as one of its top priorities on education.

— With files from The Canadian Press.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2023