The British Columbia Conservative Party continues to gain time, energy and expertise at the expense of its former BC United brethren.This time it’s money.It comes after well known United bagman Teddy O'Donnell on Monday announced he’s jumped ship for the upstart Conservative movement.In a fundraising letter obtained by The Western Standard, O’Donnell says the BC Conservatives led by ex-United MLA John Rustad represent the only realistic alternative to NDP Premier David Eby’s government..Under the province’s fixed election law, BC residents will go to the polls on October 19 of this year.Since splitting — or more accurately being expelled — from Kevin Falcon’s BC United, Rustad has managed to coax four high profile MLAs and has positioned the Conservatives to be a serious contender for at least official opposition status — if not a minority government — according to recent opinion polls.The defections come after failed merger talks to unite what would otherwise be a fractured centre-right coalition. Most polls suggest a unified Conservative/United party would have a good shot at forming the next government.According to O’Donnell: “Common Sense is needed now more than ever in BC. David Eby and the radical NDP have wreaked havoc on our province. From chaos on our streets to unaffordability like we’ve never seen before to our crumbling healthcare system, we can’t afford to let the NDP win another four-year term.”
