Dennis Giesbrecht, the Conservative Party of B.C. candidate for Vernon-Lumby (photo courtesy of the Conservative Party of B.C.)

By Liam Verster

Vernon-Lumby Candidiates

Former Kamloops-area candidate to run with Conservatives in Vernon-Lumby, local mayor to run as independent

Sep 4, 2024 | 12:17 PM

The Conservative Party of B.C. is bringing in a man from the Kamloops area to run locally in the provincial election.

The party named Dennis Giesbrecht as the candidate for the Vernon-Lumby riding.

Giesbrecht, who the Conservatives had previously named as the candidate for Kamloops Centre, was described as the party having roots in the heart of the B.C.Interior, and that his experience in the heavy industry has allowed him to understand the importance of energy, forestry and shipbuilding, and the roles they play in the province’s economy.

The party added Giesbrecht has a focus on economic leadership that can uplift individuals and bolster essential programs.

Giesbrecht did not immediately respond to an interview request from Vernon Matters.

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Meanwhile, the man who was potentially in the running for the Conservative candidacy in Vernon-Lumby will be running in the election without any party ties.

In a social media post, Kevin Acton, Mayor of Lumby and the former B.C. United candidate for Vernon-Lumby stated he would be running as an independent in the provincial election.

Acton, who had previously told Vernon Matters he would consider running with the Conservatives after B.C. United announced the party was withdrawing from the provincial election, asked in his post that people question whether “politics in British Columbia be so controlled by political parties that people feel they have to vote for a party they don’t believe in just to remove a party they feel is failing them?”

Acton also did not immediately respond to Vernon Matters‘s request for comment.