THE SOWKCA SNAPSHOT
November, 2020
Hello to all SOWKCA members, volunteers and fellow Conservatives,
Welcome to the first edition of our new monthly newsletter, The SOWKCA Snapshot.
We live in a large riding that consists of the South Okanagan Similkameen, Kootenay Boundary, Central Kootenay and Arrow Lakes regions. It includes the communities of Penticton, Oliver, Osoyoos, Grand Forks, Rossland, Trail, Castlegar, Slocan, Silverton, Nakusp and other smaller communities. Spread out as we are, it’s important to keep in touch, not just during an election but at all times. It’s our hope The Snapshot will keep you updated with what’s happening locally and where you live too. For that, we’ll need your help. We look forward to hearing from you.
And now the news:
Nominating Committee
The Electoral District Association (EDA) has appointed the members of EDA Candidate Nominating Committee. Those members are as follows: (positions in brackets identify the committee make-up required by the party rules).
Chris Struthers (President)
Kris Omland (Financial Agent)
Meagan Salekin (EDA Board)
Doug Tarbet (EDA Board)
Mark Walker (Member at Large)
Mary-Lou Lancaster (Member at Large)
Christine Remedios (Executive Director’s designate / Party Staff member)
Alternates:
Ron Joseph, Denise Reed (Both EDA Board Members)
The committee has now elected Meagan Salekin as Chair.
The committee’s duties include facilitating the nomination process at the local level, interviewing applicants and holding the final nomination meeting to elect the candidate. The application period for our riding was officially opened on September 28th and the party is accepting applications from interested contestants. The closing date for the application period is to be selected by the party’s National Candidate Selection Committee. (NCSC)
The closing date for applications (“Close of Nominations”) has not been announced, but when it is, the NCSC will provide 14 days notice. The date of the closing notice is entirely up to the NCSC, but they will typically wait until one or more credible candidate applications have been approved.
We will keep you updated as the nomination process unfolds.
Contributions
Club 400 is a quick and convenient way to contribute to the SOWKA. Make a one-time contribution of $400 (or 12 monthly contributions of $33.34) and receive a unique Club 400 identity pin, exclusive Club 400 invitations to local Conservative events (most at cost), Club 400 updates so you know what’s going on in government and contribute to the success of your candidate in the next election. And remember the current Revenue Canada tax credit of the first $400 donation is 75% which means your net contribution is $100. That works out to $1.92 per week, less than a cup of coffee!
Simply go to the SOWK website at https://www.sowk.ca/donate.
If you would like to donate over the course of a year, enter $33.34 and click on monthly. For a single contribution, enter $400 and click on one-time. Please note that all contributions made on our website stay with the South Okanagan-West Kootenay.
Alternately you can mail a cheque to:
SOWK Conservative Association Box 266 113-437 Martin Street Penticton BC V2A 5L1
We need your help now to build up our financial reserves to be in the best possible position when the election is called. Please consider making a contribution in any amount – it all makes a difference.
2021 Conservative Party Convention
The Conservative Party will be holding a virtual convention March 18-20.
More details will be provided in the next Snapshot.
Volunteers
Things look calm on the surface now but like a duck, we are paddling like the dickens underneath to ensure we are ready when an election is called.
We need volunteers from across the district to step up now so we can hit the ground running when the election is called. If you have time to help out in a variety of ways, we would love to hear from you. Please go to https://www.sowk.ca/volunteer.
If you are a current volunteer we will have you on file and there is no need to reapply. We will be in touch to confirm your interest going forward.
Introducing Chris Struthers
Each month we will ask a Board Director to tell us a little bit about themselves and what they bring to their position. We begin this month with our president:
President Chris Struthers with Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole at Penticton’s Time Winery during a leadership campaign stop last February.
My involvement in politics started in 2017 when trust-fund millionaires Trudeau and Morneau unleashed their attacks on small businesses. I had built a protest website and a Facebook page called “Defend Small Business” that garnered millions of views and naturally caught the attention of the local Conservatives. I got to know some of the EDA board members who later invited me to join. This is not some exclusive club that requires a secret handshake – anyone who believes in Conservative principles and wants to fight for a better Canada is welcome.
Since then I have been twice elected as the EDA president and worked on the 2019 election campaign where I put my skills as a hard working small business owner to work.
In my day job I am an electrical power engineer with twenty years experience in power generation and energy efficiency technologies. I have a very patient wife, three school-age children, a dog, two cats…and no spare time!
Being the EDA president has given me the opportunity to meet with many different MP’s. I have used those opportunities to share my experience on how Canada’s engineers and entrepreneurs can reduce global carbon emissions without destroying our resource sectors or eroding our quality of life. Looking forward to getting a Conservative MP elected to the South Okanagan West Kootenay!
Contact us
If you have any questions, comments or ideas for The Snapshot, we would like to hear from you. Please e-mail us at [email protected]
South Okanagan West Kootenay Conservative Association
“One of the penalties of refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” Plato"