In 2009: Former Osoyoos mayor John Slater won this riding in a competitive three-person race, defeating Lakhvinder Jhah by over 800 votes, and Conservative candidate Joe Cordoso by over 3000 votes. Slater received 37.45% of the vote, the lowest percentage for a winner last election.
History & Geography: Part of the South Okanagan riding that existed for nearly a century, Boundary-Similkameen consists of all areas between Hedley and Christina Lake that are south of Penticton. Osoyoos is the largest town, but Oliver, Keremeos, Grand Forks, Greenwood, and many other historic towns populate this area. It has voted either Social Credit or Liberal in 14 of the last 15 elections, with B.C. historian Bill Barlee taking it for the NDP in 1991.
Basic Stats:
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Population: 38160 (75th)
Size: 11,116 km (19th)
Density: 3.4 people/km (69th)
Odds and Ends: The average age of 54.6 is the second highest in the province. The median income for employed people was just $35,172 in 2005, second lowest in the province, and government transfers amounted for 18.3% of income, highest in the province.
Candidates
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Liberals-Linda Larson: A city councillor in Oliver, Larson was mayor of the town from 1997 to 2005, and served on B.C.’s Small Business Roundtable from 2005 to 2011. She is the chair of the Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen, and has run a free muffin program at South Okanagan Secondy School for the past 12 years.
NDP-Sam Hancheroff: A school trustee, Hancheroff was a school teacher at Okanagan Falls Elementary for 33 years. He has been a trustee for the Okanagan Falls Irrigation District, and was also a volunteer firefighter.
Greens-John Kwasnica: A community living worker, Oliver worked in the Gaza Strip as a United Nations Peacekeeper in the 1970’s.
Independent-Mischa Popoff: An agriculture specialist, Popoff is the writer of “Is It Organic?”, a book critical of the organic food industry. He was with the BC Liberal Party before joining the BC Conservatives as a vice-president. He then resigned over their stance on the HST. However, in February he rejoined the Conservatives. He was stripped of his party’s nomination after comments made in columns about single mothers and transgendered kids were discovered.
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