Local government candidates are usually excited to get an endorsement during an election campaign, but not always.

Kelowna city council candidate Davis Kyle publicly rejected a recent endorsement from the Kelowna Citizens Safety Association because of the group’s reputation for promoting conspiracy theories.

“When I looked at their website, I saw that they were talking about the harmful effects of chemtrails and 5G. That goes beyond a conservative outlook to me, that speaks to more conspiracy theories. I’m not interested in engaging with those kinds of conspiracy theories as part of my campaign,” Kyle said.

On the surface the group seems like a typical citizen association for political activism, but a few clicks into its website reveals conspiracy theories about chemtrails, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People Act and 5G antennas.

“I recently became aware of an endorsement from the Kelowna Citizen’s Safety Association. I decline this endorsement. It was not solicited or sought,” Kyle wrote on social media.

The association then posted an updated list of endorsements.

The association officially endorses Nikki Csek, misspelled as Nikki Chek in their initial post, Brian Pinter, Lee-Ann Tiede, Todd Sanderson, Humberto Morales, Kevin Kraft, Bal Grewal and Rob Wilkinson. They also endorsed Ron Cannan for mayor.

“You can look up an organization through a quick Google search and learn what they are about. I don’t think that candidates can plead ignorance about what a group stands for,” Kyle said. “To be perfectly honest, I’m not surprised by some of the names on the list.”

Candidates in West Kelowna and Lake Country also received unsolicited endorsements from the association. Some of the candidates, like Kyle, might not actually align with the association’s values.

“I’m not sure how closely they’re paying attention to Kelowna politics. If they knew more about the positions that I hold in terms of working for better road infrastructure, working for improved housing affordability, strong protection for the environment, I’m not sure if they would have picked me in the first place,” Kyle said.

There are a lot of groups making public endorsements for local elections, but Kyle said this group isn’t one candidates should be thrilled about.

“I’m grateful that I seem to be picking up momentum in the community, but there are some endorsements that are just not worth taking. And this is definitely one of them,” he said.

The association did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Municipal election day is Saturday, Oct. 17.