A guide to the 2017 BC election for dummies

It’s the 2017 B.C. General Provincial Election: A month when the most popular news topic is a subject you know very little about. But that’s okay, because KelownaNow has got you covered.

In this piece we will go over the basics, from what the term “riding” actually means to what the major issues are and how the election affects you. If you’re an experienced voter and follow politics closely, you might not need to read this guide, but we do encourage you to scroll to the bottom and fill out the form with questions you’d like us to ask the candidates!

What is a Riding?

A riding is an electoral district, which is a geographical area that is represented in Government by an elected person. Simply put, within these geographical areas, people vote for someone to be their voice and make sure their needs are addressed in government.

In federal elections, people vote in their riding for a candidate to represent them as a Member of Parliament (mp) in the House of Commons. In Provincial elections, people vote in their riding for someone to represent them as a member of the legislative assembly (mla) in the provincial legislature.

What are the Ridings in the Central Okanagan?

We have three ridings in the Central Okanagan:

Kelowna Mission

Kelowna West

Kelowna Lake Country

Voting: How, When and Where?

How?

To vote you need to be a Canadian citizen, 18 or older on General Voting Day (May 9th) and a resident of B.C. for the past six months.

You also need to prove your identity and residential address before voting. To do this, make sure to bring either your B.C. driver’s license, B.C. Identification Card or B.C. Services Card (with photo). If you don’t have any of the above cards, click here to see alternative identification options that will allow you to vote. For more information on how to vote, click here.

When and Where:

You can vote on General Voting Day at the following list of locations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 9th, 2017.

Kelowna-Lake Country:

Best Western Plus. 2402 97 Hwy N
Dr. Knox Middle School, 121 Drysdale Blvd
Ellison Elem School, 3735 Parkdale Rd
Holiday Park Resort, 415 Commonwealth Rd
Okanagan Centre Comm Hall, 11099 Maddock Ave
Oyama Comm Hall, 15710 Oyama Rd
Rutland Centennial Hall, 180 Rutland Rd N
Rutland Senior Sec School, 705 Rutland Rd N
Rutland West Arena, 645 Dodd Rd
St. David's Presbyterian Church, 271 Snowsell St
Watson Road, Elem School 475 Yates Rd
Winfield Memorial Hall, 10130 Bottom Wood Lake Rd
Winfield United Church, 3751 Woodsdale Rd Lake Country

Kelowna-Mission

Black Mountain Elem School, 1650 Gallagher Rd
C3 Church, 2410 Ethel St Kelowna,
Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2091 Gordon Dr
Chute Lake Elem School, 5240 Lark St
East Kelowna Comm Hall, 2704 East Kelowna Rd
Evangel Church, 3261 Gordon Dr
First Lutheran Church and School, 4091 Lakeshore Rd
Mission Creek Alliance Church, 2091 Springfield Rd
Okanagan Mission Comm Hall, 4409 Lakeshore Rd
Rutland Seventh Day Adventist Church, 130 Gerstmar Rd
South Kelowna Elem School, 4176 Spiers Rd
St. Andrew's Anglican Church, 4619 Lakeshore Rd
Willow Park Church, 439 33 Hwy W

Kelowna-West

Chief Tomat Elem School, 3365 East Boundary Rd
First Baptist Church, 1309 Bernard Ave
George Pringle Elem School, 3770 Elliott Rd
Glenrosa Elem School, 3430 Webber Rd
Grace Baptist Church, 1150 Glenmore Dr
Immaculate Conception Church Parish Hall, 839 Sutherland Ave
Kelowna Curling Club, 551 Recreation Ave
Killiney Beach Comm Hall, 516 Udell Rd Killiney Beach
Lakeview Heights Baptist Church, 2630 Alhambra Dr
Rose Valley Elem School, 1680 Westlake Rd

You can also choose to vote before May 9th at the following locations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (dates vary depending on the location).

Kelowna-Lake Country

Dr. Knox Middle School, 121 Drysdale Blvd (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30)
Kelowna International Airport, 5533 Airport Way (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30, Wednesday-Saturday May 3-6).
Rutland Centennial Hall, 180 Rutland Rd N (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30, Wednesday-Saturday May 3-6).
St. David's Presbyterian Church, 271 Snowsell St (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30)
Winfield Memorial Hall, 10130 Bottom Wood Lake Rd (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30, Wednesday-Saturday May 3-6).

Kelowna-Mission

A.S. Matheson Elem School, 2090 Gordon Dr (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30)
East Kelowna Comm Hall, 2704 East Kelowna Rd (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30)
Evangel Church, 3261 Gordon Dr (Wednesday-Saturday May 3-6).
Mission Creek Alliance Church, 2091 Springfield Rd (Wednesday-Saturday May 3-6).
Okanagan Mission Comm Hall, 4409 Lakeshore Rd (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30, Wednesday-Saturday May 3-6).
Willow Park Church, 439 33 Hwy W (Wednesday-Saturday May 3-6).

Kelowna-West

Emmanuel Church, 2600 Hebert Rd (Wednesday-Saturday May 3-6).
George Pringle Elem School, 3770 Elliott Rd (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30)
Grace Baptist Church, 1150 Glenmore Dr (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30, Wednesday-Saturday May 3-6).
Kelowna Curling Club, 551 Recreation Ave (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30, Wednesday-Saturday May 3-6).
Super 8 West Kelowna hotel (Saturday-Sunday April 29-30, Wednesday-Saturday May 3-6).

If you are unable to vote on or before General Voting Day, you can also vote at any district electoral office until 4 p.m. on May 9, 2017.

List of District Electoral Offices in Kelowna:

Kelowna-Lake Country: 1519 Keehn Rd, kelowna B.C.
Kelowna-Mission: 240-1640 Leckie Rd, Kelowna B.C.
Kelowna-West: 102B-1979 Old Okanagan Hwy, Kelowna B.C.

You may also vote by mail. Details for mail voting can be found here.

What are the major issues?

High costs of buying and renting a home, as well as housing availability.
Available and affordable childcare spaces
Concerns over the impact that pipeline expansions could have on the environment and property rights.
Dwindling economic prospects for people residing in rural parts of B.C.
Campaign finance reform

Now you’re probably thinking, “well it’s great you’ve compiled this relatively short list of issues but how does this encourage me to head to the polls on May 9th and vote?”

Well, that’s a good question and we want to answer it by asking a favour: Ask yourself what issues you currently face in your day-to-day life. For example, do you struggle to keep up with rent? Are you burdened with student loan debt? Are you frustrated with the fees you have to pay when crossing toll bridges? Are you fed up of walking into a room and forgetting why you walked in there in the first place? The reason I’m asking you to think about these issues is because you have the power to do something about these issues on election day.

For example, if you currently find yourself buried in student loan debt, you can research the policies proposed by the parties regarding student loans and vote for the party you think offers the best solution. Click here for a table that compares the major party policies on a number of issues.

Who are the major parties?

The B.C. Liberals are the ruling party and currently form a majority government in the B.C. Legislative Assembly with 47 seats (44 seats are needed for a majority). Their leader is current Premier Christy Clark who represents the riding of Westside-Kelowna.

The B.C. New Democratic Party (NDP) are the major opposition party with 34 seats in the Legislative Assembly. The NDP are currently led by John Horgan who represents the riding of Langford - Juan de Fuca.

The B.C. Green Party currently only have one seat in Parliament and are led by Andrew Weaver who represents the riding of Oak Bay-Gordon Head.

We will be publishing a series of pieces in the coming weeks focusing on specific issues and how the candidates running in Kelowna intend to address them. However, we want your opinion on what questions we should pose to the candidates!

What questions would you like to ask the candidates running in the election? Let us know by filling out the boxes below!

Fill out my online form.