The BC Conservatives have nominated Gavin Dew to replace Alexandra Wright as candidate in the riding of Kelowna-Mission less than a week after she was ousted from the party.Dew, an entrepreneur who ran for leadership of the BC Liberals in 2021, is the latest to jump ship to join John Rustad and his crew of newcomers, who continue to surge in the polls.."Our economy is stalling out, with employment decreasing three months in a row and virtually no net increase in private sector jobs since 2019," Rustad said in a statement. "Gavin has experienced firsthand the crisis of indecision that stalls progress, blocks economic growth, and costs taxpayers money and missed opportunity. We need to unlock BC's potential and our ability to get things done again, so we can make things better for people and families."He noted that, "whether it's housing, healthcare, crime and addiction, wildfires, or agriculture, we need serious leadership to provide serious solutions to serious problems, and to make sure Kelowna has strong voices in a new government."Dew, who lives in Kelowna and operates a family business with his wife, Erin, expressed his hope that a Conservative government would be able to turn things around."Everyone is tired of the drama," he said. "We need to put BC first, not egos or old party allegiances. We can't wait four more years to get serious, end the chaos, and get BC back on track. It's time for common sense voters to stop sifting through the ashes of our hold home, put up scaffolding around the new one, and focus on forming a new government."With a BA from UBC and an MBA from Oxford, Dew has worked on projects involving affordable housing, energy, and tech. He currently serves on the boards of the Business Council of British Columbia and Resource Works, and the Veterans Transition Network, which is a mental health charity that helped evacuate Afghan interpreters from the Taliban. His community work have led him to be named on Business Vancouver's "Forty Under 40" list.
The BC Conservatives have nominated Gavin Dew to replace Alexandra Wright as candidate in the riding of Kelowna-Mission less than a week after she was ousted from the party.Dew, an entrepreneur who ran for leadership of the BC Liberals in 2021, is the latest to jump ship to join John Rustad and his crew of newcomers, who continue to surge in the polls.."Our economy is stalling out, with employment decreasing three months in a row and virtually no net increase in private sector jobs since 2019," Rustad said in a statement. "Gavin has experienced firsthand the crisis of indecision that stalls progress, blocks economic growth, and costs taxpayers money and missed opportunity. We need to unlock BC's potential and our ability to get things done again, so we can make things better for people and families."He noted that, "whether it's housing, healthcare, crime and addiction, wildfires, or agriculture, we need serious leadership to provide serious solutions to serious problems, and to make sure Kelowna has strong voices in a new government."Dew, who lives in Kelowna and operates a family business with his wife, Erin, expressed his hope that a Conservative government would be able to turn things around."Everyone is tired of the drama," he said. "We need to put BC first, not egos or old party allegiances. We can't wait four more years to get serious, end the chaos, and get BC back on track. It's time for common sense voters to stop sifting through the ashes of our hold home, put up scaffolding around the new one, and focus on forming a new government."With a BA from UBC and an MBA from Oxford, Dew has worked on projects involving affordable housing, energy, and tech. He currently serves on the boards of the Business Council of British Columbia and Resource Works, and the Veterans Transition Network, which is a mental health charity that helped evacuate Afghan interpreters from the Taliban. His community work have led him to be named on Business Vancouver's "Forty Under 40" list.
