Three candidates are running to represent the Shuswap riding after the Oct. 24 provincial election.
Nominations are closed and Elections BC’s final list of candidates for the riding include the BC Liberal Party’s Greg Kyllo, who is seeking a third term as the Shuswap’s Member of the Legislative Assembly, the BC NDP’s Sylvia Lindgren, who ran against Kyllo in the 2017 provincial election, and newcomer Owen Madden, candidate with the BC Green Party.
The Salmon Arm Chamber of Commerce is hosting a virutal all-candidates forum via Zoom from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Questions have been submitted in advance by community members.
To get the Zoom link, visit the chamber website at sachamber.bc.ca. No password or registration is required.
Below are brief biographies submitted by each of the candidates.
Greg Kyllo, BC Liberal Party
I have been honoured to serve as your Shuswap MLA for the past seven years.
Working together, we have been successful in advancing many capital projects in our region, from seniors’ housing and care facility expansions to Trans-Canada Highway improvement projects and the Sicamous to Armstrong Rail Trail. The most important and gratifying work has been assisting local residents to find solutions to a wide range of provincial issues and concerns. However, much work has yet to be initiated.
Born in Fort St. John, my family relocated to Sicamous in 1978 where I attended Parkview Elementary, Eagle River Secondary and later college in Salmon Arm. I have been married to my high school sweetheart Georgina for 32 years, have four kind and amazing daughters, and we are blessed with eight grandchildren. Our daughters and their families are proud to call Shuswap their home.
I have a strong business background, with 25 years as president and CEO of Twin Anchors Marine and TA Structures in Sicamous, as well as local government experience as councillor and deputy mayor of Sicamous.
I am hoping I can count on your support for a third term.
Sylvia Lindgren, BC NDP
A second time candidate and current city councillor, I have has spent my career working in education and health care.
During my 18 years in public education, I have served as the CUPE local president, earning a reputation as a strong advocate for workers’ rights and safety.
The two biggest issues people have brought forward to me in my time on council are affordability and the climate crisis.
In our region, 33 per cent of households face housing costs that are either unaffordable or severely unaffordable.
Having one in three people spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing is not just bad for them, it’s bad for the economy.
When people don’t have disposable income it affects everyone, especially small businesses where people would spend money if they had it.
Some of the biggest turnouts I’ve seen at council meetings have involved the climate crisis, whether it was the need to declare a state of emergency, or public concern for development projects that threatened ecosystems.
I am proud of the work the BC NDP have done with Andrew Weaver to create an aggressive climate strategy, but I know there is more work to be done.
Owen Madden, BC Green Party
Owen Madden trained as a lawyer in Ireland, serving as a criminal prosecutor for the Irish State. He was kept busy chasing polluters around the country with fines.
In 2006, he began to recognize the severe realities of climate change during a conversation with a potato farmer, when the man expressed his struggle with strange and unpredictable weather. Inspired by this, Owen began reeducating in Climate Change Law in Scotland, then in Ecojustice in Vancouver. From there, he was the climate campaigner for the Wilderness Committee.
After falling in love with a wanna-be farmer, he and his partner found a home in Enderby where they happily farm organic vegetables.
Owen hopes to be a part of a team of MLAs that prove to British Columbians we can both prosper economically and play a role in solving climate change – at the same time.
Owen acknowledges the NDP are grabbing power during a pandemic, despite the Greens having partnered successfully with them for three years. This is why he has volunteered his name during this critical time.
“We have the opportunity to present a fresh vision for the future of British Columbia,” said Owen.
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