NDP members in Boundary-Similkameen will soon be choosing between two very different women to carry their banner in the next provincial election.

Brenda Dorosz from Osoyoos and Colleen Ross from Grand Forks will face each other in a nomination meeting set for Sunday, Jan. 15 at the Oliver Community Centre.

The winner will face incumbent MLA Linda Larson of the B.C. Liberals in the next provincial election on May 9.

Only those who were NDP members prior to mid-October are eligible to vote, and because it’s winter, most are expected to vote by mail, said Rhonda Bruce, riding association president.

Dorosz is best known for leading the fight to save Osoyoos Secondary School.

She’s also been active in other community causes, most recently working with two other Osoyoos women to establish the Osoyoos Gift Cupboard, where donated items are available to people in the community who need them.

Ross is a first-term Grand Forks councillor, who has long been an NDP member and a social activist, particularly on international agriculture and development issues.

While the two say they represent many of the same NDP principles – support for education, healthcare and other social programs, as well as for sustainable agriculture – their comments on their own strengths point to the weaknesses in their opponent.

“I have a lot of experience and can hit the ground running,” said Ross. “I’m not a beginner… I understand the system. It’s not enough to just listen to people. You have to understand that these decisions (on environmental and economic issues) aren’t being made at a local level. They are being made at an international level and I’ve been in those meetings.”

Dorosz is a recent NDP member and despite serving on local boards, she’s never been active in partisan politics.

Dorosz, for her part, emphasizes her local connections.

“I feel I would be the best candidate because I’m local,” said Dorosz. “I have ties here. I have a passion moving forward. I want to help people and make Boundary-Similkameen a better place for all of us. I think a more centralized candidate would be better for the entire riding.”

Ross grew up in Ontario and has lived in numerous other places including farming 15 years in Australia. She has lived in the Boundary area for about five years and lived in Nelson for about two years prior to that.

Dorosz said she’s feeling confident, but she’s also aware that some people may indicate support, but it’s not necessarily how they’ll vote.

“I’ve got a lot of support through the riding,” she said. “I’ve had wonderful conversations and all my meet-and-greets were very well attended. I’ve been to Grand Forks three times, twice in Oliver and everywhere else at least once. So I’m feeling very positive, but I don’t want to go in thinking I’ve won, because you never know what can happen.”

Ross said she’s also confident.

“I am really confident simply because I know the NDP,” she said. “A lot of my friends joined the NDP because of me and because they know – they said to me, ‘Colleen, I don’t join parties, but I will join the party simply because I want to support you,’ because they know that I have this experience.”

Ross said the essential pillars of Canadian society and of the NDP – such as social programs, education and healthcare – are being undermined by the political right and by corporations.

“Those pillars are being undermined and we have to understand we can’t go into an arena to fight – it’s almost like a war – without understanding our enemies,” said Ross. “I think having that understanding makes us more prepared as leaders and it’s not a game. This is really serious and I’m not afraid of it.”

By Richard McGuire