Boundary-Similkameen is a provincial riding formed in 2008. It includes the populations of Penticton-Okanagan Valley, West Kootenay-Boundary and Yale-Lillooet.[1] The riding's name corresponds to that of a former riding in the same area, with similar but not identical boundaries (see History section).

Boundary-Similkameen
British Columbia electoral district
Provincial electoral district
LegislatureLegislative Assembly of British Columbia
MLA
 
 
 
Roly Russell
New Democratic
District created1988
First contested1988
Last contested2020

Geography edit

As of the 2020 provincial election, Boundary-Similkameen comprises the western portion of the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, minus the northeastern portion which is part of the Penticton Electoral District. It is located in southern British Columbia and is bordered by Washington, United States to the south. Communities in the electoral district consist of Osoyoos, Oliver, Grand Forks, Princeton, and Keremeos.[2]

Member of the Legislative Assembly edit

Due to the realignment of electoral boundaries, most incumbents did not represent the entirety of their listed district during the preceding legislative term. Bill Barisoff, British Columbia Liberal Party was initially elected during the 2005 election and 2001 election to the Penticton-Okanagan Valley riding, where the bulk of the new riding's population resides. Katrine Conroy, NDP. was the MLA for West Kootenay-Boundary, while Harry Lali, NDP, was the MLA for Yale-Lillooet (the areas of those ridings added to Boundary-Similkameen are less-populated and were not main population centres in their ridings).

History edit

The original riding of Boundary-Similkameen was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It spanned the Boundary Country, around the towns of Grand Forks and Rock Creek west including Oliver and Osoyoos to the Similkameen Valley towns of Keremeos and Princeton. The riding first appeared in the 1966 election as the result of a merger of the former ridings of Grand Forks-Greenwood (1924–1963) and Similkameen. Until the re-creation of Boundary-Similkameen, the former area was part of West Kootenay-Boundary; areas in the Similkameen had been part of Yale-Lillooet (which has been reconstituted as Fraser-Nicola).

For other historical and current ridings in the region, see Kootenay (electoral districts) and Okanagan (electoral districts).

Assembly Years Member Party
28th 1966–1969 Frank Richter Jr. Social Credit
29th 1969–1972
30th 1972–1975
31st 1975–1979 Jim Hewitt
32nd 1979–1983
33rd 1983–1986
Two Member District from 1986-1991 Member Party
34th 1986–1988 Jim Hewitt Social Credit Ivan Messmer Social Credit
1988–1991 Bill Barlee New Democrat
Okanagan-Boundary
35th 1991–1996 Bill Barlee New Democrat
36th 1996–2001 Bill Barisoff Liberal
Boundary-Similkameen
39th 2009–2013 John Slater Liberal
40th 2013–2017 Linda Larson
41st 2017–2020
42nd 2020–present Roly Russell New Democrat

Demographics edit

Population, 1966
Population change, 1966–1986
Area (km2)
Population density (people per km2)

Electoral history edit

2020 British Columbia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
New Democratic Roly Russell 10,500 49.85 +17.12 $22,881.87
Liberal Petra Veintimilla 7,735 36.72 −6.08 $46,981.69
Conservative Darryl Seres 2,354 11.18 $3,145.37
Wexit Arlyn Greig 474 2.25 $647.44
Total valid votes 21,063 100.00
Total rejected ballots 208 0.99  
Turnout 21,271 56.84  
Registered voters 37,421
Source: Elections BC[3]
2017 British Columbia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Linda Larson 9,513 42.80 −3.79 $68,560.09
New Democratic Colleen Ross 7,275 32.73 −6.26 $60,024.28
Independent Peter Entwistle 3,165 14.24 $3,653.00
Green Vonnie Lavers 2,274 10.23 +1.45 $1,170.00
Total valid votes 22,227 100.00
Total rejected ballots 98 0.44
Turnout 22,325 64.52
Source: Elections BC[4][5]
2013 British Columbia general election
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Liberal Linda Larson 8,499 46.59 +9.14 $61,031
New Democratic Sam Hancheroff 7,113 38.99 +6.08 $70,135
Green John Kwasnica 1,602 8.78 −0.7 $1,334
No Affiliation Mischa Popoff 655 3.59 $3,725
Independent Doug Pederson 375 2.06 $0
Total valid votes 18,244 100.00
Total rejected ballots 113 0.62
Turnout 18,357 61.85
Source: Elections BC[6]
B.C. General Election 2009 Boundary-Similkameen
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Liberal John Slater 6,681 37.45% -8.25 $99,832
  NDP Lakhvinder Jhaj 5,870 32.91% -7.89 $52,629
Conservative Joe Cardoso 3,596 20.16% $20,592
Green Bob Grieve 1,691 9.48% -0.02 $2,025
Total valid votes 17,838 100%
Total rejected ballots 122 0.68%
Turnout 17,960 62.31%
Boundary-Similkameen Byelection, June 8, 1988
resignation of Jim Hewitt
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
New Democratic Bill Barlee 15,778 52.82% unknown
Social Credit Russ Fox 10,515 35.44% unknown
Liberal Judi Tyabji 3,144 10.53% unknown
Green Rus Domer 361 1.21% unknown
Total valid votes 29,868 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 218
Turnout %
2 Seat increased to two members from one.

The 1988 byelection, which elected NDP member Bill Barlee, was the last appearance of the Boundary-Similkameen riding until its recreation in 2009. For the 1991 election, the area became represented by Okanagan-Boundary.

34th British Columbia election, 1986 2>
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit Jim Hewitt 18,204 29.99% unknown
Social Credit Ivan Messmer 16,150 26.61% unknown
New Democratic Eldon John Harrop 11,656 19.21% unknown
New Democratic Wesley G. Nickel 11,427 18.83% unknown
Liberal Anna Rita Lusier 1,729 2.85% unknown
Green John Mercer Hughes 893 1.47% unknown
Green David G. Cursons 634 1.04% unknown
Total valid votes 60,693 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 758
Turnout %
2 Seat increased to two members from one.
33rd British Columbia election, 1983
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit Jim Hewitt 18,869 54.82% unknown
New Democratic Yvonne Joan Storey 14,468 42.03% unknown
Liberal Kenneth Leslie Carig Hasanen 1,086 3.15% unknown
Total valid votes 34,423 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 312
Turnout %
32nd British Columbia election, 1979
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit Jim Hewitt 13,739 47.56% unknown
New Democratic Bryan Patrick McIver 11,485 39.76% unknown
  Progressive Conservative John Edwin Swales 3,662 12.68% unknown
Total valid votes 28,886 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 324
Turnout %
31st British Columbia election, 1975
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit Jim Hewitt 10,784 48.31% unknown
New Democratic Yvonne Joan Storey 9,183 41.13% unknown
  Progressive Conservative Barry Donald Montgomery 1,778 7.96% unknown
Liberal James Elder 580 2.60% unknown
Total valid votes 22,325 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 161
Turnout %
30th British Columbia election, 1972
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit Frank Richter, Jr. 8,092 44.11% unknown
New Democratic Bill Barlee 6,850 37.34% unknown
Liberal Ruth Schiller 1,855 10.11 unknown
  Progressive Conservative Donald James Ewart 1,550 8.45% unknown
Total valid votes 18,347 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 122
Turnout %
29th British Columbia election, 1969
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit Frank Richter, Jr. 8,944 54.29% unknown
New Democratic Bill Barlee 4,957 30.09% unknown
Liberal Donald Grant MacDonald 2,575 15.63% unknown
Total valid votes 16,476 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 122
Turnout %
28th British Columbia election, 1966
Party Candidate Votes % ± Expenditures
Social Credit Frank Richter, Jr. 6,547 55.44% unknown
New Democratic Lois Haggen 3,669 31.07% unknown
Liberal John Victor Hyde Wilson 1,594 13.50% unknown
Total valid votes 11,810 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 87
Turnout %

References edit

  1. ^ "CBC.ca - B.C. Votes - Boundary-Similkameen". CBC. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  2. ^ "Boundary-Similkameen Electoral District" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  3. ^ "2020 Provincial General Election Final Voting Results". electionsbcenr.blob.core.windows.net. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  4. ^ "Statement of Votes - 2017 Provincial General Election" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
  5. ^ "Statement of Election Income and Expenses". Elections BC. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "Statement of Votes - 40th Provincial General Election" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved May 17, 2017.