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REVELSTOKE
REVIEW Wednesday August 5, 2015 Vol. 118, No. 31
PM40050491
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Glacier Challenge – 10
78 19 5
50 0 1 6
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More water problems – 2 Federal funding – 3 Mason Stalker charged – 4 Community Calendar – 7 Sports briefs – 12 RONA break-in – 15
Let the campaigning begin! ALEX COOPER
affairs, official languages, statutory regulations, justice and health. He is also chair of the Conservative Law Enforcement Caucus. His private member’s bill calling for mandatory minimum sentences in the kidnapping of young people was adopted. The Review contacted Wilks on Monday requesting an interview. We were told he was not available and instead questions were taken by Abbott. He said the Conservative’s campaign will be more relaxed in August, before ramping up in September and October. He said the long campaign will put a big physical and mental demand on the candidates. “The pace you have to go at — in a 37 day campaign I was really, really pushed. I could hardly think or move by the time of election day,” said Abbott, “It’s more of a personal drag than anything.” NDP candidate Wayne Stetski was mayor of Cranbrook from 2011 to 2014, when he was defeated in his bid for re-election. Prior to that he worked for the BC Ministry of the Environment, where he spent 22 years as a manager for BC Parks from 1980 to 2002, before becoming the regional manager for the Kootenays — a post he held until 2009. He was announced as the NDP candidate in February and has been steadily campaigning and sending out news releases since then. Stetski was also not available for an interview Monday before press time. His campaign director Joy Orr issued a statement on his behalf criticizing Harper for the early writ drop. “I’ve been actively campaigning, reaching out to voters, since the spring,” he said. “And not one of them has indicated that they think we should have a longer official campaign period.” He repeated the NDP’s position that they were the party that represented change in Ottawa. “People in Kootenay Columbia are ready
alex.cooper@revelstokereview.com
The candidates for Kootenay-Columbia, clockwise from top left: Conservative MP David Wilks, NDP candidate Wayne Stetski, Liberal candidate Don Johnston, and Green Party candidate Bill Green. ~ All photos contributed
The longest election campaign in modern Canadian history is officially underway, but for the candidates in Kootenay-Columbia, it started months ago. “I think most of the candidates have been campaigning already, so it’s not a huge change,” said Bill Green, the Green Party candidate. “It doesn’t change anything for us, we’re going to keep campaigning hard.” Prime Minister Stephen Harper launched the 42nd federal election campaign on Sunday morning. At 78 days, it’s the longest since the 1870s, when rolling votes took place around the country. MP David Wilks responded to the official launch of the campaign with a news release sent out by his predecessor Jim Abbott, who is listed as his senior campaign advisor and media spokesperson. The press release mostly repeated the words of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who on Sunday said the campaign would be about the economy and security. “Canadians will be asked to judge who has the proven experience today to keep our economy strong and our country safe,” Harper said. Wilks, for his part, stated he was looking forward to the campaign and introducing himself to residents within the new riding boundaries. Kootenay-Columbia is bigger this year, with the addition of Nelson, Salmo and Kaslo adding about 20,000 people to the riding. The vote split in 2011 inside the new boundaries was 50 per cent Conservative, 38.9 per cent NDP, 6.4 per cent Green, 3.5 per cent Liberal, and 1.2 per cent independent. There are four candidates vying for election this year. MP Wilks is the incumbent, having sat in Parliament since the spring of 2011. Wilks spent 20 years in the RCMP and was the mayor of Sparwood for six years prior to being elected. In Ottawa, he has sat on the committees for aboriginal
see Campaign, page 16
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