Wilson listed as Conservative again as B.C. election called for Oct. 24

Boundary-Similkameen MLA’s party affiliation changes again as provincial advance voting overlaps with Oct. 17 local elections

GRAND FORKS — Boundary-Similkameen MLA Donegal Wilson is again listed as a B.C. Conservative by the Legislative Assembly, days after The Boundary Sentinel reported that she had joined CentreBC.

The change comes as British Columbia heads into a provincial election campaign, with Final Voting Day set for Saturday, Oct. 24.

Elections BC announced Tuesday that writs had been issued for the province’s 44th general election. Voters will elect MLAs in all 93 electoral districts.

The Legislative Assembly’s current records identify Wilson as a member of the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Wilson was elected as a Conservative in Boundary-Similkameen in 2024 before leaving the caucus earlier this month and subsequently joining CentreBC.

Her status as a Conservative candidate in the coming election remains unresolved.

As of Tuesday night, the B.C. Conservative Party’s Boundary-Similkameen page did not name a candidate and continued to say the riding was held by another party. Elections BC also had not confirmed Wilson as a nominated candidate.

The party page appears to be lagging behind the Legislature’s updated record, but neither page establishes whether Wilson has secured or intends to seek the Conservative nomination.

Candidate nominations close at 1 p.m. Pacific on Saturday, Oct. 3. Elections BC says the complete candidate list will be published as soon as possible after nominations close.

The election call also creates an unusual voting calendar for people in the Boundary who are already preparing to vote in municipal, regional district and school trustee elections.

Provincial advance voting runs from Friday, Oct. 16 through Wednesday, Oct. 21, with voting available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time.

B.C.’s general local elections take place Saturday, Oct. 17, meaning local General Voting Day falls on the second day of provincial advance voting.

The two elections are separate.

Local jurisdictions are responsible for administering their local elections, including voting, counting and candidate nominations, while Elections BC administers provincial nominations, voting and counting. Elections BC also administers campaign-financing and election-advertising rules for both provincial and local elections.

Provincial voters will also be able to vote at district electoral offices once they open or by mail.

Elections BC says people who register or update their provincial voter information by Oct. 1 will receive a Where to Vote card before advance voting begins. The card will list advance-voting locations in their electoral district and their assigned voting place for Oct. 24.

For Boundary-Similkameen, the election call settles one question about Wilson and leaves another open: the Legislative Assembly again records her as a Conservative MLA, but the party has not yet identified her as its candidate for the Oct. 24 election.

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