By Don Urquhart Times Chronicle

As the final hours of the 2022 municipal election campaign count down Osoyoos First mayoral candidate Dustin Sikora continues to claim the high moral ground over election tampering even as critics point to what they claim is hypocrisy.

In an open letter released Wednesday night and reported on by the Times Chronicle, Sikora was unequivocal that in similar circumstances any member of his team caught committing illegal acts, such as tampering with election signs, would face action to “protect the public trust from being damaged”.

Marcel St. Louis, the husband of mayoral incumbent candidate Sue McKortoff’s official Finance Agent, Janis St. Louis, was caught on video removing one of Sikora’s signs on Tuesday.

Sikora is insistent that the involvement of the St. Louis duo in various community events – like the Osoyoos Farmers’ Market and Music in the Park – should be terminated because of Marcel St. Louis’ election tampering which is now being investigated by the RCMP. Marcel St. Louis is the subject of a police investigation.

And Sikora goes further, arguing that both Janis St. Louis and McKortoff should be issuing statements condemning the actions of Marcel St. Louis. “The public interest, the public trust have to be held above personal interest and personal relationships,” he said.

But critics have been quick to point out what they say is moral relativism, not only because his support of the illegal “Freedom Convoy” in Ottawa but because Sikora has embraced the support of former mayor Stu Wells who, with his wife Martha Collins, famously trespassed on private property and stole signs relating to a property development on Anarchist Mountain in 2014.

They were similarly caught on video and although a police investigation was launched, no formal charges were laid.

A well-placed source, who because of their prominence in the community wished not to be named, highlighted to the Times Chronicle the important role that Wells and Collins have been playing in the Osoyoos First campaign.

The source noted that the two still have significant connections and influence within the community that would be “very helpful” to the Osoyoos First electoral bid.

At the same time the individual echoed the sentiments of a number of people on social media, saying: “Sikora seems unwilling to hold his own affairs to the same moral standards he is insisting Sue McKortoff and Janis St. Louis abide by.”

Speaking to the Times Chronicle on Thursday evening Sikora downplayed the role that Wells and Collins are playing within Osoyoos First saying they are simply part of a group of 20 or 30 supporters.

When asked about this apparent contradiction in decrying one sign thief while embracing another, Sikora said the difference was that, “Stu did the classy move and resigned.”

Times Chronicle has fact checked this and found that Stu Wells did not in fact resign, but for this and other personal reasons didn’t run again for the Mayor’s chair in the 2014 election, instead supporting Sue McKortoff’s successful bid.

“The only thing that I think is similar was the taking of a sign, that’s the only thing similar,” Sikora said.

He also feels that because this took place some eight years ago, “I think it’s a bit of a reach and it says more about them [the critics] than the actual facts of what we’re comparing here.” And he added, the Wells/Collins issue didn’t revolve around an election.

Sikora however would not be drawn on the issue when it was pointed out that he himself recently dismissed his support for the “Freedom Convoy” as irrelevant to local politics and simply past history.

As for this election tampering issue he says his approach would have been different: “All ties with their official community involvement would be severed and I would offer a public statement condemning their actions, even if it was a close personal friend. While embarrassing and painful, this is the duty of a leader.”

McKortoff on the other hand feels the issue is being blown out of proportion.  “I think it was terrible and I was quite surprised and shocked when I found out it happened.” But she added: “I’m not going to jump every time Osoyoos First thinks I should do something.”

“I have explained what I didn’t do. I don’t want to start second guessing for other people. Janice is my Financial Agent she has paid the bills and she has one last thing to do and that is that she has to fill in a form and send it to elections BC. That’s it.”

McKortoff also highlighted that Janis St. Louis’ husband “is the one who has admitted to this and is dealing with the police, so I don’t think Janis needs to make a statement on this.” And in fact, the RCMP have advised Marcel St. Louis to refrain from discussing the issue with anyone until the investigation concludes.

Reiterating that neither she nor Janis St. Louis had any inkling of Marcel St. Louis’ actions until the issue blew up on social media, McKortoff said: “I can’t change the facts, I can’t change what happened but I don’t need to keep talking about it and getting people stirred up because it doesn’t do me any good and it doesn’t do anybody else any good.”