OSOYOOS TIMES-October 20, 2010
By Laurena Weninger – Osoyoos Times
Those trying to recall Boundary-Similkameen’s MLA John Slater are still planning to launch the recall campaign as soon as possible, but it’s now starting to look like they won’t get it underway until next spring.
For the last three weeks, Fight HST organizers have been running a game called “MLA Survivor Recall – Vote them off the Island.”
Eighteen electoral districts were identified by the organization, including Boundary-Similkameen, for being the first ridings to kick-off the recall campaign.
Recall proponents in the 18 ridings are competing to round up the most volunteers to work on the recall by Nov. 15.
The three ridings where the most volunteers for the recall campaign are signed up will be the starting points for recall actions.
In order to begin the process of having an MLA recalled, volunteers must collect signatures from 40 per cent of the B.C. voters that were registered in the May, 2009, election.
So far, there are 110 volunteers lined up in the Boundary-Similkameen riding.
Across the province, there are more than 2,369 canvassers signed up, states a media release from Fight HST organizer Chris Delaney.
The Cariboo-Chilcotin riding, represented by Liberal MLA Donna Barnett, has more than doubled its number of volunteers in the last three weeks, from 77 to 158.
That places that riding second behind Oak Bay-Gordon Head, MLA Ida Chong’s riding, with 178 canvassers and just ahead of third-place Kamloops North, MLA Terry Lake’s riding, with 146 canvassers.
Boundary-Similkameen, with 110 canvassers so far, Parksville-Qualicum, with 115, and Saanich North are all competing for fourth place, Delaney said.
There is another four weeks to go in the “contest.”
Oliver’s Don Rudzcki is running recall canvassing efforts in the Boundary-Similkameen area.
He said the race is going about as expected.
“I expect we’ll be (starting the recall petition effort) in the spring,” Rudzcki said, adding the three ridings with the highest number of volunteers signed up by the end of the contest will start their recall campaigns in January.
When the recall process officially begins, volunteers will have 60 days to collect enough valid signatures to trigger the recall.
In the Boundary-Similkameen riding, there were 28,822 registered voters at the time of the last election, meaning approximately 11,529 signatures are required here for the recall campaign.
John Slater is the Liberal MLA for this electorial district.
The Osoyoos captain for the recall campaign is Lorna Yusep, who can be reached at 250-485-2359.
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