2005 Candidates (as received from Elections B.C.):
- Janice Marie Money, DR BC
- Joyce Procure, New Democratic Party of B.C.
- Angela Reid, Green Party of BC
- Rick Thorpe, BC Liberal Party
Districts Profile:
Bordered on the east by Okanagan Lake, this central Okanagan riding reaches as far north as Killiney Beach and as far south as Shingle Creek. Communities here include Peachland, Summerland, Westbank, Westside, Caesars and Ewing. Agriculture is a major industry here, with apple orchards, fruit trees and vineyards being common. Small manufacturing industries have also been established, producing transportation equipment, machinery and wood products. Summer and winter tourism is also important. At $58,572, the average family income is below the B.C. average, but the 8.6 per cent unemployment rate is nearly the provincial norm. Immigrants account for 15 per cent of the population. At 19 per cent, this riding is tied for having the province's eighth-highest percentage of residents older than 65.
Political History:
The incumbent in Okanagan-Westside is Liberal Rick Thorpe, the minister of provincial revenue. In the 2001 election Thorpe got more than four times the votes of the runner-up, Ernie Ursuliak of the NDP. Prior to that, voters here were split largely between the old ridings of Okanagan-West and Okanagan-Penticton; it was in the latter riding that Thorpe was first elected, when he unseated incumbent Jim Beattie, a New Democrat, in 1996. Okanagan-Penticton was a Socred stronghold from the '50s until 1988, when New Democrat Bill Barlee won decisively in a byelection. He was succeeded in 1991 by Beattie, who won narrowly over a Liberal. Okanagan-West, meanwhile, was dominated by the Social Credit Party for half a century, with MLAs including W.A.C. Bennett (1941-73) and his son Bill Bennett (1973-86) – both former premiers – and, more recently, Larry Chalmers and Cliff Serwa, who served together when this was a dual riding from 1986-91. Serwa continued in office until 1996, when Okanagan West turned Liberal, electing Sindi Hawkins.
In 2001, voter turnout in Okanagan-Westside was 69.9 per cent – just below the provincial average.
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