Kevin Acton and Dauna Kennedy are seeking the BC United nomination in the Vernon-Lumby provincial riding. (submitted photos)

By Pete McIntyre

Two candidates

Date set to choose BC United candidate for Vernon-Lumby riding

Oct 17, 2023 | 1:00 PM

Voting will take place Nov. 4 in Vernon and Lumby for BC United Party members to pick their candidate for the next provincial election.

Eric Foster, a former MLA and the current president of the party’s Vernon-Lumby constituency association, said nominations have closed and there are two candidates seeking the position: Kevin Acton and Dauna Kennedy.

“They are both great candidates and whichever of the two is succesful, I would be more than happy to put their sign on my front lawn,” Foster told Vernon Matters. “They’re both good community people and they’ve worked hard for the community over the years, both of them.”

Acton is the current, long-time mayor of Lumby and chair of the Regional District of North Okanagan board, while Kennedy is the executive director of the Vernon Public Art Gallery.

Foster said two other people took papers out for the nomination, but withdrew them.

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BC United is the former BC Liberal Party and is led by Kevin Falcon.

The deadline to buy a party membership and vote for a candidate is Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 4:30 p.m. which can be done online.

Foster said the party had about 585 members as of 11 a.m. on Oct. 17, which he expected to rise before the deadline.

The vote on Saturday, Nov. 4 will be from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the White Valley Community Centre on Shields Avenue, and from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Schubert Centre in Vernon.

“You have to be a resident of the riding and a member of the party to vote, but you can vote in either place,” Foster explained.

The result will be announced that night by the party, and with just two candidates, he expects it will be a fairly simple process.

“[The vote count] shouldn’t take more than half a hour,” Foster said.

An event to hear the BC United candidates speak will be held Tuesday, Oct. 24 at the Schubert Centre from 7 to 9 pm, with speeches and a question and answer session.

Foster was the MLA for Vernon-Monashee from 2009 to 2020 (three terms) when he was defeated by Harwinder Sandhu of the New Democratic Party, the current MLA who has said she intends to seek a second term next year.

The next election in B.C. is scheduled for October 19, 2024.