NDP Cannings re-elected in South Okanagan-West Kootenay

The riding of South Okanagan-West Kootenay has gone orange again with another NDP victory in today’s federal election.

Incumbent Richard Cannings is expected to be re-elected MP in the riding. At press time, he was ahead of Conservative candidate Helena Konanz by nearly 2,000 votes with nearly 70 per cent of votes counted. Cannings had 38 per cent of the vote while Konanz has fallen behind with 32.5 per cent.

Cannings commented on the tight race, admitting he had butterflies in his stomach this afternoon. He said he thought the NDP leader's 11th-hour visit to the riding might have helped him turn the tide. 

"This last visit was something we found out about a couple of days before, and so obviously we were very pleased he decided to do that," Cannings said.

Cannings said he ran on his record as MP for the last four years.

"I think people liked what I did, and how I represented this riding, and we ran a very positive campaign about what the NDP was offering Canadians and our commitments like affordable housing and the environment, and I think that resonated with people, obviously enough to take this to the top," he said

The South Okanagan-West Kootenay riding was expected to be a close contest between the incumbent and Conservative candidate Helena Konanz, who has been campaigning almost non-stop since winning her party’s nomination last year.

But she failed to overtake Canning’s popularity in a relatively new riding made of former areas that traditionally elected NDP or Conservative candidates.

Cannings, 66, is a well known biologist and author of a dozen books about B.C. topics. He spent 17 years at University of British Columbia before moving back to the Okanagan in 1995 to run his own consulting company.

For more on this year's federal election, click this link.


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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