Kelowna West forum reveals five candidates vying for B.C. premier’s former riding

Voters packed the Lions Hall in West Kelowna Wednesday night to hear from the five candidates running in the upcoming provincial by-election.

The riding of Kelowna West was left vacant when Liberal Christy Clark retired from politics in August 2017 after the NDP formed a minority government through a coalition with the B.C. Green Party.

Former MLA Ben Stewart is running again for the Liberals.

Stewart gave up his job in the legislature in 2013 so that Clark, who was defeated in her own riding of Vancouver-Point Grey, could contest the seat in a by-election.

Shelly Cook is running for the NDP, Robert Stupka for the B.C. Green Party, Mark Thompson for the Conservatives, while Kyle Geronazzo is running as the Libertarian Party’s candidate.

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Whomever wins the race Feb. 14 could change the balance of power in the legislature, as the NDP and Liberal’s have 41 seats each, the Greens three with one independent.

Advance polls for the Kelowna West by-election begin Feb. 6 with locations posted on the Elections B.C. website linked here.

The Kelowna West riding covers both West Kelowna and downtown Kelowna. A map can be found here.