B.C. election 2017: Kelowna-Lake Country riding

Another safe BC Liberal seat, Norm Letnick won reelection in 2013 with a better than 2-to-1 margin.

In 2009: Letnick became the third Liberal to win this riding its three elections, defeating NDP candidate Matthew Reed by over 5,000 votes, 52-26 per cent.

History & Geography: One of three ridings centred in Kelowna, Kelowna-Lake Country spans the northern half of Kelowna east of Glenmore Drive, and the entire area between Kelowna and Vernon. It has changed in size and name as the Okanagan has grown, but has solidly voted for the Social Credit and Liberal parties for decades, never once voting NDP. Inside Kelowna-Lake Country is the old Okanagan South riding, which former premiers W.A.C. and Bill Bennett held between them for 45 years.

Candidates

BC Liberals – Norm Letnick: The Minister of Agriculture, Letnick was a councillor in Banff and Kelowna before running for the Liberals for the first time in 2009. Before entering politics he was a businessman, teacher, and housing expert.

NDP – Erik Olesen: A 26-year-old Vernon resident with management experience in the retail industry, Olesen plans to open a small business in the health and fitness sector, hoping his experience will motivate others.

Greens- Alison Shaw: Owner of FlipSide Sustainability, an environmental-business consulting firm. A PhD who focused on the interaction between scientist and policymakers around climate issues, she also previously worked on the Nobel-Prize-winning United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

2017 Stats: Kelowna-Lake Country

Population (2014): 61,113 (8th)
Population Deviation from Average: 15 per cent
Area: 1,165 sq km (33rd)
Pop Density: 52.5 (54th)
Average Age: 42.2 years (35th)
English as Second Language: 13.45 per cent (54th)

Top 3 Second Languages:
German – 3.17 per cent
Panjabi (Punjabi) – 2.05 per cent
Italian – 0.54 per cent