Many people have asked why I am running as the Kamloops North Thompson candidate in this Fall’s BC Provincial election, and why with the BC Conservative banner?
Well first I would like to talk a little about myself. I’m a family man, with deep roots in Kamloops North Thompson, roots that along with my parents go back five decades.
After graduating from high school, I went directly into my father’s logging business (after spending the summer months doing that work from the age of fourteen). I knew the work was hard and sometimes dangerous, but the money was good and there was lots to do, including on the job training on everything from heavy equipment, to hand falling, to trail and road building, High Lead logging and everything in between.
Of course, there were never enough hours in the day, but still, I spent as much time as I could with my wife and our two daughters. It was a pleasure coaching their softball teams, and driving back and forth to the many sports and school activities they participated in, along with trips to the doctor. Now, my wife and I are blessed to have three wonderful grandchildren.
I have always believed in contributing back to where I live, and so I became a member of the Lion’s Club in Barrierre. I was also fortunate to be elected to a Improvement District, responsible for water systems, solid waste collection, and streetlights. I also joined the volunteer Fire Dept Board around the same time.
As our community of Barriere grew we incorporated, and in 2007 I was honoured to be elected to the very first council – a position I continued in until becoming Mayor in 2018. In 2022 I was honoured to be re-elected once again.
My decision to run in the upcoming election is an important step in continuing to work on behalf of the residents in the North Thompson Valley and the Kamloops North Thompson Riding.
With the new boundaries stretching from Vavenby to Kamloops, over the hills including Knutsford, Monte Lake, Westwold, Pritchard, Chase and circling up to Sun Peaks, our Kamloops North Thompson riding represents a diverse area of both urban and rural living.
This speaks of the historical ties of families that call this wonderful part of our province home – to commerce that interacts across our communities – and to cooperation amongst residents.
As a second term mayor in one of our communities, I have seen firsthand the positive improvements we have all worked together to achieve.
That said, I, and many of our residents, have also experienced the many negative effects of this current NDP government.
Our healthcare system is in crisis with a shortage of healthcare professionals leading to thousands of residents right here in Kamloops North Thompson having no family doctor – a situation made worse by having no available walk-in clinics.
In 2016, the BC Liberal (now BC United) government declared a public health emergency, after 465 people died from a toxic drug supply the year previous. Since then, the lives of over 14,200 people have been cut short --- including nearly two dozen in Kamloops alone last year (2023).
Through thirty-two years of both Liberal and NDP governments (16 each) a lack
of housing for both seniors and families has been allowed to reach crisis
proportions.
The cost of everything else we purchase has risen so fast that more and more residents have had to rely on food banks just to have enough to eat.
And while other areas of our province have received billions in infrastructure investments, the lack of the same here in Kamloops North Thompson has led to a staggering number of serious and fatal accidents up and down our own local highways.
As a local municipal leader there is only so much one person can do, and that is why I am asking for your support in this Fall’s Provincial election.
I want to represent you in a new majority Conservative government. It is time for a change, and time for a common-sense plan to build a better British Columbia.
A plan to scrap the Carbon Tax and lower taxes, pass meaningful Healthcare reform, crack down on violent crime, invest in new hospitals and schools, and to encourage investment in our province.
Together, we can make BC a place to be proud of again. A place where our families can afford their own home, provide for themselves, support our seniors, and provide a hand up to those less fortunate; a place where we can be excited to live.
I’m Ward Stamer, your Conservative Party of BC candidate for Kamloops North Thompson.
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