Vonnie Lavers, from Kelowna, was nominated last week as the B.C. Green candidate for Boundary-Similkameen in the provincial election. (Contributed photo)
After months of searching for a local candidate to run for the provincial election in Boundary-Similkameen, the B.C. Greens finally announced a candidate last week.
Vonnie Lavers, who currently lives in Kelowna, says she plans to move here and will be looking at real estate in the Osoyoos area this week.
“I’m actually moving into the riding within the next month,” said Lavers. “I’m selling my property in Kelowna and working on that as we speak.”
She adds that she sees the move as permanent.
Lavers, originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, came to B.C. in 1992 after working 12 years in Fort McMurray, Alta.
For 13 years until 2013, she was Executive Director of the Kelowna Community Food Bank.
Since then, she said she has been doing consulting and public relations, and she also owns and manages real estate investments.
Lavers said she’s never run for any political office.
“I’m brand new, so to use a pun, I’m a greenhorn running for the B.C. Greens,” she said.
She said she decided to run because she believes that as much subsidization should go into renewable resources as is done for all other resources.
“I firmly believe that we need to look at creating full-time careers in renewables as well as the economic development that we currently do,” she said, adding that this investment must be fiscally responsible.
Political decisions should be made with a long-term perspective, she added.
Local Green organizer Dave Cursons held meetings in Princeton, Oliver and Grand Forks last month to try to drum up a candidate, but the meetings were poorly attended and drew little interest.
In mid-March, Cursons issued a news release warning that the election process is expected to begin on April 11 and nominees are already squaring off at candidates’ forums.
“Many of the all-candidates meetings may be over with before the writ of election is even issued,” Cursons said at the time.
Recently the South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce held meetings in Osoyoos, Oliver and Okanagan Falls where only B.C. Liberal Linda Larson, the incumbent MLA, and NDP candidate Colleen Ross were represented.
The Wine Country Retired Teachers’ Association also held forums in Oliver and Osoyoos with only Larson and Ross.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
