Stephen Johnsthon
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Stephen Johnston
January 08, 2024 - 7:00 PM
A West Kelowna city councillor has announced he will be running to obtain the BC United candidacy in hopes of representing the party in the West Kelowna-Peachland riding for the 2024 BC Election.
Stephen Johnston has served as a West Kelowna city councillor and Regional District of Central Okanagan director for the past five years and is now hoping to take a run at provincial politics.
"Since serving as a city councillor I just really enjoy the opportunity to serve my community and serve the residents that I rub shoulders with daily so to do that at a full-time capacity would be something that's an honour for me," Johnston says.
"There's a lot of overlapping responsibilities that happen provincially and municipally these days. We're starting to see the province's mandate creep into the municipal mandate, so there's a lot of synergies where the work done provincially really makes a huge difference in municipalities as well."
Johnston said BC United is the party that will bring the change needed.
"I've always been a member of the BC Liberal Party, and now the BC United Party, and I believe that they're the party that best represents the middle ground and, really, that's what I think we should do with politics in this province," he says. "I think we need to deviate from the edge of any spectrum and try to come up the middle and I think that's what's best for the people that we serve and I think BC United is the best party to offer that."
Johnston has yet to make public his political platform, but says his views are in line with those of the party.
"My own platform would come out once I get in with the party but I'm supportive of what I see from the party so far, especially in matters of housing and healthcare and I am just looking forward to working with the party to bring about provincial change."
Johnston is the only nominee for the party in the West Kelowna-Peachland riding so far. Members of the riding association will hold an election at a yet to be determined date.
The BC election will take place on or before Oct. 19.
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