78: What Happened to the BC United Party - Could Independent MLA Candidates Hold the Balance of Power in BC? Featuring Stephen Johnston, MLA Candidate for West Kelowna-Peachland

0:00 Welcome back to the Kelowna Real Estate Podcast. I'm your mortgage broker host, Taylor Atkinson. And I'm your real estate agent host, Matt Glenn. Today we have a special intro, never done before on this show. A special intro and just a special show. A special intro and just a special show. We're bringing on Stephen Johnston, unaffiliated, independent, previous MLA-nominated candidate for BC United. So yeah, we're pulling back the curtains and talking all things politics today. Yeah. We just finished recording the episode, which is an awesome episode. Steve is still around. And so he's a part of the intro as well. Yeah. At least for letting me be part of history here. Yeah. Double in doubt. I don't think we've ever had a third party in our intro. We have not. Emily, actually, I guess. Was she? Yeah. Part of the soccer thing. But anyways, I want to dive into this straight away because we kind of started the conversation.

0:41 I was a little bit more somber on politics. When we finished, I was so excited that we started talking off air and I was like, right. So Matt came up with a great idea for the intro. So let's talk about why we're excited, where the opportunity lies for future politics. Yeah. So I think we were kind kind of talking off air just about the fact that there's independence running and people are nervous about a vote split. But like when you unpack the numbers, right now there's eight independent candidates running or unaffiliated independents running, and there's 93 ridings across the province. So really you're looking at 85 ridings that actually don't have, I'll call it the benefit of an independent. And it's interesting to hear people be, you know be nervous about the vote split because there's 85 ridings where there's really option A in the NDP and option B in the conservative party.

1:22 And those are kind of polarizing. There's a lot of middle ground between there that a lot of people are feeling like, hey, we've been disenfranchised and cut off from the choice we wanted to make. And in a lot of cases, candidates like myself are saying, hey, we're feeling that also. We're kind of like out here in the wind right now. So I don't think the vote split narrative is really necessary because there's 85 seats where a conservative party, if they're gaining traction in the polls like they say they are, that they can easily win the seats they need. And so then it provides a unique opportunity for these eight ridings that have independents to say, hey, we actually get the freedom of choice to say who's the best candidate to represent us in this riding. And actually, Matt, you had a really good – a really good – Yeah, you guys are going to have like an outsized amount of power because if we end up with a minority government, which is very likely after this election, you're going to be in a position where you can support side A or side B and you can go with the issues you actually agree on and not just toe the party line yeah you truly are the truly are the voice of the people at that and then but also when you think about on a local level like you vote for your mla like in your writing like how much power does that give to you in that writing to have someone like that if everybody in one party is voting for this and you say well okay i'll join you but i want you to add X issue or I want you to tweak it this way to help my writing.

2:34 Boom, done. And you can do that for every issue for the whole time for four years. Yeah, and I think there's a great opportunity for that. and I think there's a great opportunity for that. Like, I honestly think it's quite exciting. This has never happened before. So we are in an unprecedented election and in uncharted territory. And I think it's super exciting to see what could happen. And I think you now have the opportunity to get just real leaders that care about people to inject that balanced perspective. For me, it's like I'm a center-right kind of conservative. And so that perspective there, to be a voice of reason. And so now I'm accountable to my riding, to the people, and the government's going to be accountable to me as their representative. And so I say that not only as myself, but there's going to be other independents elected as well. I'm confident of it. There's unbelievable high quality, high caliber candidates out think there.

3:15 Do you know offhand Okanagan area who are the other unaffiliated independents? Yeah. So right now announced there's myself and then Ashley Ramsey, who's in Kelowna Mission. So this you're riding here here. Perfect. In this area. Okay. here. Perfect. In this area. Okay. Yeah. Awesome. You're in a very unique one because there's not even an NDP candidate running. That's right. It's just you versus conservative. So like if you're a conservative, vote for Steve Johnson because he's a center-right politician. That's what he is. If you're NDP, you're like, well, at least I have a chance that he's going to vote with me on these issues. So you vote for him. Either way, you're going to be the candidate that gets to have the most power out of almost any MLA in the whole province. Talk about a win-win situation. Totally. I was chatting with I was chatting with someone, I was at this opening for an industrial park this morning, and there was an individual there who said, hey, thank you so much for standing in the gap.

4:02 Because honestly, we just weren't even going to come out to vote because we just feel like our choice had been taken from us. And so right now now I want you to know you got two votes from our household. And I thought like, that's so cool. And I'm hearing that all the time. I'm getting calls and texts from people I don't even have their contacts for. And I'm like, Oh, who is this? Actually, I got this really cool call last night around 7 PM. And it's from someone who's very well connected in the business world here on the side of the bridge. And they said, Hey, I'm worried about the boat split. Like the whole conversation that we're going to have here on the podcast. By the end of the call, he said, let me know what I can do for you. You have my support a hundred percent. And so that's just been the trajectory of all these conversations that we've been having lately. And it's really encouraging. I love it. I love it it too. Like, man, what an opportunity it's presenting to us.

4:43 So despite Kevin Falcon, the best efforts, this is actually turning out pretty good. So yeah. Yeah. We're going to cut right into the show. Yeah. I think you guys are going to love it. It was a really fun one to record. Also, if you want to know more about Steve, he was on the show previously, episode 32, talking about City West Kelowna and all the good things that you guys are doing over there. So yeah, give both of these a listen to. Like every show we are sponsored by Century 21 Assurance 21 Assurance Realty, the best brokerage in the Okanagan. We are now expanded to Vernon, Shuswap, Kootenays, Kamloops. We're everywhere. It's a brokerage where I grew up. I cut my teeth. This is really where I got my business started. If you're an agent looking to change brokerages, looking for a little bit of help to get your career going in this bit of a crazy market, Century 21 Assurance Realty is a brokerage for you. Awesome. Let's get into it. Okay. Welcome back to the podcast, Steve Johnson. How's it going?

5:23 Good. How are you guys? Good. Probably nothing happening in your life right now. No, it's pretty quiet. Yeah. Yeah. So we're pretty much just going to scrap real estate for today and dive into, you know, our strength is politics. He gets diversifying. Yeah, we are. Yeah. I still want to hear your, what are you doing on a Friday? Oh, on a Friday. I mean, like, so right now I'm on an unpaid leave of absence from work. So every day is like the same day it feels like these days. So the daily program is basically I wake up at like 545 and I go for a walk. My grandpa always did that. And like as kids, when we were staying down at their place in the summer, it was just like, you'd try to get up early enough to go on this walk with grandpa or a bike ride.

6:11 And so I'm like trying to incorporate that into my daily practice in the morning. And then, um, you know, it's get ready emails, shoot some social media stuff, and then get on the doors. So we just got our new rack cards and content so we can get out of the doors again. Just actually got it the other day. So yeah, it's basically door knocking. It's going to events. It's talking to people. It's making phone calls and eat, rinse, repeat kind of thing. Yeah. So again. Yeah. So kind of fill us and the listener in what's got to happen in the last month, six weeks, kind of what's happening in your world. So I was the BC United MLA candidate for West Kelowna Peachland. We've been campaigning actively. I've been doing that sort of while I've been working full time. And I'm also on city council as well. And a father and husband and a retired baseball player. Yeah, I know. That's like all of this has taken me.

6:51 I haven't even got to play slow pitch. I signed up to play on the team that Taylor and i play on and i didn't play one game but i did get the west side days tournament in so oh did you nice that's better than me and you weren't there yeah but And a you there but we did win the season this year so yeah you were there i appreciate it yeah were there i it but no so i've been just working campaigning you know being a family man. As of September 2nd, I took my leave of absence from work to focus fully on the campaign. But a few days prior to that, on August 28th, we woke up and it was a very surprising day. All of us candidates, even in the MLAs that we have in our caucus, had no idea what was happening. But I started getting texts around noon.

7:31 We were supposed to have a candidate's call. We have like a bi-weekly call on a Wednesday at noon. And I was trying to log onto this call, but the host wasn't letting me into the meeting. So I'm like, okay, that's weird. And then we got a message, hey, we're going to postpone until I think 2.30. Everybody needs to be on. And so we're all thinking this is a little strange. And I got texts about a half an hour later from friends saying, hey, what's going on? It's like a Richard Zussman tweet or a Global News article. So all of a sudden, start researching, reading articles. And yeah, Kevin unilaterally made the decision, Kevin Falcon, just to pull the rug out from us. And he suspended the BC United campaign and withdrew all of us candidates from running as BC United candidates. So we still are on the ballot, but we've been sitting, waiting. And really the waiting's over for myself. We've decided to press on. Well, yeah, mostly because you've made the tweet or a Global News yeah, mostly because you've made the decision, right? There's been no information passed on.

8:18 No. So we waited patiently because when So we waited patiently because when the press release went live, that was the first time we were hearing that information. Yeah. So that's insane that you heard at the same time as basically me. Yeah. So let me clarify that a little me clarify that a little bit. So we did pop on a candidate's caucus call at at 2.30 and then there was a press conference scheduled for 2.40 that and then there was a press conference scheduled for 2.40 that day. So the press conference got pushed back a little bit beyond three and about, I don't know, five minutes before Kevin Falcon hopped on our call, it was very brief. It was, here's what's happening. I know you're not going to be happy about it, but this is what I think we need to do. And he said, I got to go.

9:00 I'm going on to the press conference. And so then we hopped off the call, watched the press conference live. And that's where we- He jumps onto the where we- He jumps onto the call. He's like, okay, everybody mute. I'll be the one talking here. Yeah. Well, and I Well, and I mean, I understand the need for secrecy in that moment. Like, I mean, you can't have corporate conversations like that and expect it not to leak. But I mean, just for crying out loud, like so many of us were fully funded, ready to rock. You are literally posting on your Instagram, you door knocking in the rain. In the rain. Was that the day before or a couple days before? A couple days before, yeah. Like, good God. But also this has been what, a year? like, like Yeah, it knocking in the days before? A couple days before, yeah. Like, good God. But also this has been what, a year? like, like Yeah, it knocking in the In rain. the Was rain. that the day before or a couple of days before? A couple of days before, Like yeah.

9:42 good But God. also this has been like what, a year? Yeah, like it's a long campaign. It's a lot of time and energy. Yeah, probably feels pretty unfair. I mean, it's disheartening for sure. But God. also this has been like what, a year? disheartening for sure. Like, I mean, we've all put so much effort into it, but also we were still kind of confused. So we were sitting there after the press conference, like saying, okay, I think we need to just wait patiently because John and Kevin said publicly that, hey, we're going to work to put the best team forward possible to defeat the NDP and, you know, feel the really good government. And remember, too, if you're going to form government, you need far more than a capable leader. You need a really deep caucus and a bench strength for cabinet minister positions and things like that. So a bunch of us kind of sat back and said, well, we're going to wait then patiently and see what happens. Maybe we'll get a tap on the shoulder, but yeah. So at this stage, no one's been swapped out into the... There has been some. You that have. I don't There has been some. You that have. I don't know what the number is. I heard it was around 10 or it was going to end up around 10. I don't know if it was the number.

10:22 I had the number of eight. I actually don't know that. It could be between eight and 10. Yeah. Something like Yeah. Something like that. Yeah. Out of how many total? I believe we had 58 candidates. So I thought what was going to happen is likely about 20 or 25 of us would be merged in. think it was a necessary decision by Kevin Falcon, not the way he did it, but to basically fold and throw in the support for the Conservative Party? Party? At this hour, no, I don't think so. Now, no one believes more than me that we should have found a way to bring the parties together. That should have happened probably a year ago, because as you're in the midst of a democratic process and like you're heavily campaigning, it's really a disservice to the electorate to shake things up like that at a moment's notice. You know, I had actually back in May, I had drafted a coalition framework for an agreement that could take place where, you know, if Kevin and John were able to get to the table together and say, hey, how do we work at actually making sure we respect the electorate and they don't want the NDP back?

11:07 So can we work at actually making sure we respect the electorate and they don't want the NDP back? So can we create this coalition to get us past the election and then talk amalgamation afterward? Because then you have the opportunity to have the best candidates from both sides elected, showing up in Victoria and then working together. So I was kind of thinking, if I draw this framework up, it's got to have been proposed already, but I'm going to just do it because it doesn't seem like we're getting there. So I flew down in My wife and they had asked us to come down and meet May. the caucus. I, to Victoria?

11:47 Where, To Victoria, yeah. So it was the last week of session. And it was a really great week. And I had booked this 15 minutes with Kevin, you know, the week out. And I didn't tell anyone. I didn't even tell our MLA because I was like, I don't want to Victoria? Where, want anyone to tell me not to take this meeting with him. I'm just going to do it. And I think I believe so strongly that we needed to put that idea forward. And I was shocked because like it hadn't been discussed at least the way that I presented it. And so we had this opportunity and, you know, it didn't end up going anywhere. Shortly after that, they did present a coalition agreement that was really just drafted poorly and not really fair or respectful of, I think, the Conservative Party at the time. And so it was rejected just like that, you know? Yeah. But yeah, anyhow, where we're at now, you know, I don't think it was necessary.

12:32 I think Kevin was losing popularity and I know that they were struggling to raise funds, but many of us can, and we had, you know, significant support and traction in our ridings. And I personally feel it's my opinion that he should have continued to run whether he had a lot of money or not. And it would have meant he'd have to run a pretty, you know, reduced campaign, but. But at least it would allow democracy in I in the sense where we would be able to choose as the general public, the MLA we would want. Right. So the narrative a lot that we've heard is like this split vote being like naive to the process. What does that really mean? And like, I guess this obviously mitigates that, but is it worth the sacrifice that it comes with? I mean, the split vote, I've spent a lot of time thinking about this. Like it's a really convenient phrase that sort of softens us up to the fact that we kind of try to pre-engineer results sometimes in an election. And I mean, I even understand the emphasis behind maybe thinking that, oh, well, how do we protect ourselves against, you know, getting an NDP government? But then there's also the other side of me that says, well, isn't democracy about choice?

13:21 about choice? And if so, like, does one person really have the opportunity to drop a democracy bomb in the middle of the room and say, well, actually, I just wiped out choice for millions of British Columbians, right? So where now you're left with sort of like a polarized A or B decision, right? That's where this vote splitting language comes in. It's like, well, if we leave it as only the NDP and then on the other side here, only the conservatives, now we more easily shuffle people toward an outcome because they don't have that choice that lands maybe in more of a balanced perspective. Right. But again, I don't know that that's necessarily more democratic. Right. No, you're right. When you phrase it that way, like it should almost be illegal to do this because you are taking the voting right away from the public that essentially that is what our democracy is built on.

14:01 Honestly. Yeah. So what happened so bad that the conservatives gained so much ground? Like what has Kevin Falcon done? Like why did we even get to this point where we're splitting the votes when the last two Honestly. Yeah. So what happened so bad that the conservatives gained so much ground? Like what has Kevin Falcon done? Like why did we even get to this point where we're splitting the votes when the last two elections, like the conservative party was basically not a party. Now they're so big that Calvin Falcon just rolls over. Like what happened? You know, I think it's just a surge in popularity federally too. There's like a natural pendulum swing right now. I mean, I noticed for a while that like the conservatives went kind of silent, like maybe not so much John Rustad, but like from the local level, like, and if I was a campaign manager on the conservative side, I would say that's exactly what I want you to do.

14:48 Like, don't be seen, don't be heard because we're riding Pierre right through to the end right now. And that does happen. It happens in every election. Like it happens municipally too. Like a lot of people try to hitch their wagon to stronger council candidates and, you know, parrot a lot of the same talking points. And so it's nothing new in elections, but I think really the popularity is driven by that pendulum swing and the success and popularity of Pierre Polly and federal. Well, and also probably the name change of like, essentially you guys were liberals, right? Or BC United were liberals and then liberally, federally, we're not doing that great in that term. So like, it is very confusing. It's so confusing. is very confusing. It's so confusing. It's confusing because the BC liberals are not like the federal liberals and the BC conservatives are not like the federal conservatives. So it's confusing because the BC Liberals are not like the federal Liberals. And the BC Yeah. Conservatives are not like the federal Conservatives. Yeah. So it's confusing. Yeah. So it's confusing. So it's about the same level of confusion.

15:30 And it's like the opposite version of that confusion. So yeah, BC Liberals. So for the last 20 years, if you were a conservative-minded voter in BC, provincially, you were voting for a party called the BC Liberal Party. Yeah. Because that was the conservative coalition free enterprise type party. And the reason they changed it is like, I can tell you, like I've been on Ben Stewart's executive board back before I was on council. Then I took a break and then I was back on it. It's always been an issue, like trying to explain that the BC Liberals were not a liberal party was always an issue. And then the name change, just like a lot of people didn't like the name, sounds like a soccer team and just like like it never really took off. And I think when you would listen to Kevin speak publicly, like he did a town hall here not long ago, actually in July at the Coast Capri.

16:12 I mean, everybody that was there was like, holy smokes. Like they were just like, yeah, I'm in because he's actually really good at speaking live and he knows his stuff. And there was good policy that the BC United Party was putting forward, but it just wasn't gaining traction because of, like I say, that federal popularity with the conservative name. Yeah. I So I guess moving forward in terms of what voters not should do, but are going to see in terms of options, it seems like now more than ever is now the time to vote like specifically for the person that you want as the independent voice or the MLA or whoever's going to be the nominee instead of the party. But I guess, do I have faith? Do you have faith that like voting for that person is going to carry the right weight at the province in Victoria? Good in Victoria? Good question. Like, so a couple of things we got to remember when it comes to vote splitting, like, and then the decision that each, you know, disenfranchised candidate makes, whether or not they'll run again.

16:54 It's like, it's very personal and it's very specific to their riding. And so, like, I haven't been engaged in encouraging or discouraging anyone from that decision. I think it's up to them to make that call. So for me and my writing, like there's only two candidates, there's myself and the conservative. It's not that for lack of There's no NDP candidate? No, not in West Kelowna Peachland. And it's not for lack of trying either. They've run the gauntlet of, you know, asking the best people they could find to run for them. And this is interesting. It's been actually quite humbling. I have had several people approach me personally and say, just so you know, I was asked to be the candidate for the NDP. But if you're serious about it, you know, maybe we think differently on some things, but you're fair, you're just, you're respectful, you're here for the right reasons, and I'm not going to run against you.

17:39 And so that's been very encouraging, very humbling. And, you know, if I were to step down, I've already been approached by one of the candidates who said, then I will put my name in and run. And then we would have very strong candidates on the West side for the NDP. For the NDP. Yeah. Okay. So this is, I didn't know there was no NDP candidate. So now it's conservative or you, the independent. Yeah. And I'm like, admittedly, I'm a center-right conservative. I just have been my whole life. I don't, you know, beat around the bush about that. So like, really you have two conservative voices right yeah i'm not against the conservative party i'll be an ally to them you know truth be told i thought they were gonna pick me up you know three and a half four weeks ago they tried to get me to be the candidate here in colonna mission so ah I just get me to be the candidate here in colonna mission so ah come on well so they they had you know removed their candidate and they had their candidate and like that's up for debate whether yeah because she's now a little bit mad she launched a lawsuit yesterday yeah so i'm not sure that her and stuff like that yeah i'm not sure that that was the right decision that they made at that time for whatever reasons they gave but they did approach me but you know i'm very committed to my community like yeah not for, it's not about being a parachute candidate that drops into another riding.

18:48 So I'm committed to moving forward to give my community the choice that they've had all along. And I think unfairly, some independent candidates are being treated like we're just entering the fray now. Like there's this shake up and the shuffle and people are trying to be opportunists and take advantage of a moment. But we've been here, many of us for seven, 12 months. there's Well, because now you have to kind of rebrand, right? Like longer than that too. Because like not a lot of people can just stop what they're doing and start campaigning and then actually win and then put your career on hold and all this stuff. Like it's not a light decision. It's not like, okay, pick me, pick me. Like this is a big deal. So where does your funding come from and your campaign team now because obviously it's not from the BC United Party right yeah yeah so I just want where does your funding come from and your campaign team now because obviously it's not from the BC United Party right yeah yeah I just want to say one more thing about the vote split thing so ridings where and I'm going to say it this way where you're fortunate to have a really high quality independent candidate it's actually a very unique situation because currently there's only yeah independence running across the province.

19:39 And again, we have to remember like when the media says like, well, independents don't usually get elected. Well, that's a really skewed data set because it's typically people who, you know, maybe for whatever reason, they're unhappy with government or they're more of a libertarian and they're just saying, screw it, I'm running. Right. And so they're usually unfunded or limited funded campaigns. And there's really not a lot of chances. And just And yeah, like pretty fringe. Usually pretty Usually pretty fringe perspective. And so like we're actually unaffiliated independents. And so the difference there is that we are vetted through the most rigorous process there is by the official opposition party. And that's how we became candidates. We've been accepted by Elections BC. So we've been here all along, gone through the most rigorous vetting process there is by the official opposition party who has governed in BC for 16 of the last 24 years.

20:26 So we're not typical independents. It's a very different thing. And so where you have a riding that you have an independent candidate of high caliber like it's quite a stroke of fortune i think because you have the opportunity to now vote for the best person to represent your writing knowing that they're not going to be an impediment to you know changing government they're going to work as an ally with the conservatives but now you get to choose and you're not really having to be distracted or held down by a party ban. You also have the potential here to be the kingmaker. So you could have a lot of sway when it comes time to legislate where you have like, I want this, you know, like I want West Kelowna to have this perk and that perk. So how does it work then at a provincial level if independent gets in, no vote goes to the NDP or the conservative. It's just a net zero. But you get a seat. So if you were to elect if you were to elect me, you'd look at it.

21:07 You're like, yeah, I think Stephen's the best candidate to represent us here. I'm going to throw my vote there. Yeah. So I would be elected just like any other MLA. I would have a seat in the legislature. I wouldn't have a party affiliation. So there's a lot of freedom that comes with that. Yeah, big time. So when you're bound by a party, you have to toe a line. And sometimes you can't actually advocate for the needs of your community because it may, you know, like this will happen in Northern communities where maybe they have some specific needs that would go against sort of whether it be for like the bear hunt comes to mind, like the grizzly hunt. So United MLAs in Northern Ridings, they had their constituents saying, hey, we need to advocate for this.

21:47 But the party was saying, no, you can't. It doesn't fit with our narrative. You're a little bit more free and unbound. It really depends how it goes. I mean, we are in a situation where we've never had this many high caliber independents. So it very well could be that they end up holding the balance of power in the legislature. So you got to remember in the previous election, the Greens held the balance of power. They had three of power. They had three seats. They put the NDP over the top and then they got a lot of stuff out of that. You're right, Matt. Like you have the opportunity to say, okay, I see where this policy is going. Here's what I think it's missing. So you get to, you know, really throw your voice at, you know, rounding that policy out, giving a better perspective, better depth, but also saying like, no, you're not going to forget about my community.

22:34 Like here's what we're advocating. Like think So Like think about, okay, let's talk about your writing specifically. Like, the voter has everything to gain by voting for you over the conservative because you're going to vote with them anyway on all the important things. And then now you get a little extra kick of a little bit more leverage on the things you want for your community. Yeah, you get the best of both worlds. worlds. It's the best of both worlds. This is actually kind of amazing and positive. like Yeah, get the best of both worlds. It's the best of both worlds. This is actually kind of amazing. Positive. like Yeah, this is unprecedented because you're right. You had independents that are usually a little bit quacked, a little on the fringe, not all of them, but like they skew that way. And now you have all these people who are totally normal, vetted candidates, quality people running that don't have any strings attached. It's kind of a... Man, I was a little bit depressed starting this conversation, but I'm excited now.

23:16 This is great. This is what happens what when you talk to steve johnson yeah yeah okay so circle back to the funding essentially bc united had obviously a ton of fundraising or not a ton but like you know every party fundraisers where did that money go to and are you privy to any of that are you starting from complete scratch running your own campaign? And then three-part question, moving forward, who funds, like if you are elected, is it then provincial funds that continue to support you? So the funding was centrally housed in an account with sort of a ledger for So the funding was centrally housed in an account with sort of a ledger for each riding underneath, which is a little bit untraditional to be honest with you. Usually when you run a campaign, you'll open your own campaign account and bring your funds in, you know, to your own local account. But the party had said, well, let's just do it under this central ledger because it's actually easier to reconcile the accounts at the end of the campaign, right?

23:57 To do your statement of disclosure. And so we thought, okay, we'll do that. But each riding fund raises over the four-year term, right? So you're not just raising money for the campaign during this short stretch, you're doing it over four years. And so the riding executive will try to sign up, you know, sponsors or donors monthly, you know, one-time donors, and you'll do events to fundraise. But a lot of that fundraising comes during the campaign push. So we had about $90,000, which was raised for our riding. And we do have a collective fundraising agreement between the three Kelowna ridings and the riding over in West Kelowna Peachland. And so all of the monies that were donated were actually not donated to the party as much as they were donated to this local effort. And when we woke up on August 28th, our account was there. It was full. We had full access to the portal where we had all of our database and all of our info. And by 12, we were locked out of it and that money's gone. So we had our writing executive on the West side there.

24:38 They said, well, it's okay. We'll just make a decision as to where we put our money. And that'll either be transferring to maybe a conservative candidate or an unaffiliated candidate. And so when we went to ask that question, we did get a response that there's no money, it's gone. So that's, you know, something that we're going to have to deal with in the future. Like we've got to park that over here for now. Like, I don't mind answering the question, but like, I mean, I'm in a campaign that the rates dropping on September 21st, we got to move forward. So how do we get more important things? But that is something in the future for transparency wise. But Like, I don't things? But that is something in the future for transparency wise. But yeah, I guess moving forward now and everyone that's already donated cannot donate again to get a tax receipt. That's right. Okay. And we just have to make sure we're very clear about to make sure we're very clear about that.

25:22 So you can donate to a variety of parties. So you could donate your $1,450 as the max personal contribution that an individual can make. So you could do that to the BC United Party, the Conservative Party, you know, the Rhino Party or an Independent, but you can only claim the tax credit once. So I think it works out too, if you've donated $1,150, you'll get about a $500 tax credit. But like I say, you only get that once. So we're fundraising again. The way we're doing it is we're taking post-dated checks or pledges because as an independent, you can't issue a tax receipt until you're in the writ period. So we're kind of saying, hey, if you want to support the campaign and the cause, we'd love your support, but please just post-dated check till September 23rd so that we- To benefit them.

26:04 Just to benefit them. Yeah. But but i mean that them. Yeah. But but i mean that means you and your team are basically working on this out-of-pocket pro bono which i guess you kind of always do yeah you you always do as the candidate and your core volunteers you're just there grinding it out but yeah but we're doing pretty well with raising funds already so it's been actually extremely encouraging so how do people go to donate to you then? So we're setting up like an online donation through Stripe on the website, which should be live by maybe this afternoon or tomorrow. Again, knowing that if you donate before the writ, we can't issue a tax receipt. So there's just that caveat. But, you know, we've had a lot of people who have said, you know what, I donated, I already have my max tax receipt, but I'm just doing it again.

26:46 So yeah, it's been really cool to see people step up in a big way. So already the material that we've had to produce to get back out on the doors, it's already been fully paid for. So. Okay. Yeah. Really cool. What is the writ? Okay. So the writ is like when the election is essentially called, they call it dropping the writ, which is exactly 28 days, four weeks prior to the election. So Saturday, September 21st. Is that when all the signs come out on the lawns and stuff like that? the signs come out on the lawns and stuff like that? Yeah. So that's when we muddy up the landscape with all of these ugly faces and colorful signs. And then so during that Yeah. So that's when we muddy up the landscape with all of these ugly and colorful signs. And then so during that period, obviously it's going to be pretty chaotic, but what are we going to see in terms of the polls?

27:27 What do the polls mean? Where do we get the data from? Like, does it carry any real weight? It depends who you talk It depends who you talk to. Like, I'll give you an example. There was a poll that came out just before Kevin, you know, we got falconed or however you want to say it. Like how else do you put it? do you put it? I don't know. This poll comes out. I actually can't even remember what the breakdown was, but it shows, okay, the green's getting this much, BC United getting this much, Conservatives and NDP getting this much, right? And then when you break down the data set, and again, as a councillor, it drives me crazy when I will get a staff report and says, you know, we've surveyed the public and it's statistically valid, this survey, but it's like there's 27 people that have responded. So a poll is kind of like that.

28:07 I think that poll had 964 people that responded to it, like province wide. So it's a pretty small sampling of the electorate. Right. And usually people that are, you know, agreeing to weigh into these polls are like super political types or they're like extremely motivated on a specific issue. So I don't know how accurate they really are. I know that, for example, in the 2022 municipal election in Vancouver, the current Mayor Ken Sim was polled to be in fourth place, but he won. So I would say that there's a good recent example of how accurate they are sometimes. And there's people that would disagree with me on that. You're welcome to. That's just, that's a fact though. Yeah. So then voting time comes in essentially five weeks from now. What day is the vote on? October 19th. 19th. October 19th. Worth it in your calendars. Yeah. And there'll be advanced voting opportunities too.

28:49 So like one of the things we're trying to do is we've got a landing page built. It's on a QR code. So my web guy has specifically said, I don't want you to mention the website because I want everyone going to the landing page. So let me just say it this way. There's a QR code on all of our content, my business cards and rat cards. And when you scan there, it'll go right to a page where if you're a supporter, you're interested in some information. If you just put in like really low barrier info, it'll allow us to reach out to you. And then on voting days, we'll tell you where those voting opportunities are just so that you have that knowledge so you can get out to vote. And then that'll push you onto the website. Just like out of like out of curiosity, are you also speaking to all of the other independents? Like, do you guys kind of have your own group chat support chat? Yeah, just. Yeah, we do have like a former BC United kind of group chat going and we do have like a former BC United kind of group chat going and like, we're not running in league or as like a party, but we do try to support one another because, you know, we've all been colleagues together for many months, if not close to a year, right? So there's some really good people there.

29:39 And even as we're like navigating the waters with elections BC, because we are this classification of candidate that doesn't usually exist. So a typical independent, for example, will show up on the ballot with independent beside their name, but we're unaffiliated independent. So it'll just be Steven Johnston or, you know, Ashley Ramsey and Clone Emission. So like a couple of little unique differences like that. Yeah. Are you guys more campaigning, trying to educate people on what has happened and why your name would show up that way instead of just campaigning to be like, vote for me because this is what I stand for. But like, hey, this is why you're seeing it presented like this on the ballot. So like, for me, I still talk policy with people at the doors and in coffee shops and stuff.

30:19 But as far as like the differential between us and, you know, our competitors, it's really less about that now, because like the fundamental conservative platform and the fundamental BC United platform was very similar, right? So like, you'll hear things like housing, healthcare, public safety, you know, as far as like wildfire management practices go, economy, like you're going to hear a lot of those things, putting our natural resources to work, creating jobs that support families. Like these are all really important things to both parties. And that's why for me, it's like, I'm not running against the conservatives, but as an ally for them. And I think that's the unique thing in West Kelowna is now you get that true choice. Okay, well, which candidate do I think is going to, you know, has maybe the experience, the track record, the opportunity to kind of, you know, serve us in a way that's going to make a meaningful impact.

31:02 Yeah. Being an independent and be able to kind of sway the vote in Victoria, are there any policies or any stances that the NDP take that you are actually like, oh, you know what? I'm kind of happy I'm an independent. Maybe I can show some support that way. So it's actually a really good question. It is a good question. a question. It is a good question. It is a good question. Yeah. Damn, Taylor. So like one of the things that I have always thought, you know, since I became a voter is like, why is it that there's always like these guys are good or these guys are bad? And it's just then we flip over to now these guys are good and these guys are bad. Well, I got to be honest with you. I'm no supporter of the NDP. I think, you know, someone could make an argument that they were a little bit more balanced under Horgan, but really under EB, we've seen some pretty destructive policy. And like, in my opinion, there's very little worth supporting right now, but that doesn't mean that people from different perspectives don't have good ideas.

31:44 And so why can a government not say, actually, that's a good idea? So childcare is one thing that the NDP kind of brought this $10 a day childcare in. Now, unfortunately, it's only being offered to about 18% of the population that needs it. So is that something we should expand? Like, I think that's a conversation worth having, right? So $10 a day childcare, it's a good idea. And historically, even our healthcare, the system that we have is kind of in shambles right now, but some of the key components came out of that NDP government as well. So again, I think there's an opportunity to recognize a good idea for a good idea and then work with those ideas rather than just saying anything that comes out of your mouth is bad, don't want to hear it, shut it down, push them off to the Shut it Push corner.

32:25 them down. off to the corner. Like that's not really governance either. Right. And some people will say to you, well, do independents really have a voice? Well, have you ever been to a council meeting? It's just a table full of independents that are working to make good decisions for the community. And so, you know, I have the privilege of working sort of in a team like that all the time. Right. Like, and we get good things done for our community and we wrestle with it and we engage in civil discourse, which is a pretty important thing in society that we've kind of grown soft towards. Like we're not doing that enough and it's okay to have things be a little messy and ugly sometimes if it's like leading towards good conversations that are getting a good result. Yeah. The NDP actually has actually has come out with some really good ideas.

33:06 They've just implemented them in like a radical way that has not been beneficial or thought out or like volatile in terms of changing. So I think that's where like there could be some good support from, you know, a collaboration, but yeah, you are a guy that has the proper voice. It's funny to hear you talk about that, like to have kind of some conflict because you're not that guy at all. But at least you can have a conversation and just like take away and just talk about it in truth, which is awesome. So what happened to the existing MLAs? happened to the existing MLAs? Are they still BC United? Are they all independent, unaffiliated right now? Yeah. So the current MLAs are still like BC United elected MLAs that represent the party. And now once the writ drops too, they actually cease to be MLAs because many of them would be running again as incumbents. So a lot of the local offices kind of go into what they call caretaker mode. So they're run just by the staff and bureaucrats at that point for that 28 day writ period.

33:47 And actually until the new MLAs are sworn in. So yes, they are still BC United MLAs. We have heard, there was an article last week that the party still wants to run a couple of candidates. You have to run two candidates in a provincial election to maintain your party status. You don't have to win. You just have to run two candidates. Well, yeah, so I was going to ask, so what happens November onwards? BC United is still a party because they will run two candidates. They'll run at least two candidates. So they will still be a party and the membership. That's where I said there's that parking lot. Like there's going to be a big conversation with the membership on, you know, dollars, on integrity, on sort of what happened. I said That's crazy. So they're just basically running the minimum amount so they can keep the party alive for next year. And in some some ways, I think they have that responsibility.

34:29 Yeah. Because like the party needs to exist so people can understand what happened, right? I mean, I don't know who they're going to find. It sure ain't going to be me. That's for sure. Yeah. I wonder if they know. Two people must know. Well, like they'll probably run what they call a paper can. they'll probably run what they call a paper can. You're almost at a sacrificial at a sacrificial point, right? Like, you know, if you're running as BC United MLA, like, I don't know. They'll run into writing, they'll lose. It's part of the program now. You just have to do this to kind of keep your status so that they can. And again, like I say, I think they need to because I think the membership deserves the right to unpack what happened and understand it better. Wow. Man, politics, eh. Yeah. So has Ben Stewart had any opinion on this at all? MLAs MLAs are, you know, when they operate their office, like they're, you know, supposed to be nonpartisan.

35:09 And like, I think you're going to start to see a lot more public engagement by some of these MLAs once the writ drops. Yeah. Okay. Because now they're kind of ceased to be in that role. But Ben's been a very strong supporter all the way along. Like I've benefited greatly from having his mentorship and guidance throughout the campaign. And, you know, he certainly has been doing this a long time and he's well connected on the West side. And really him and his family have left quite a legacy over there. So, yeah. And if people don't So, yeah. And if people don't know, Ben was on this podcast. We're here too. Yeah. Yeah. That was awesome. I mean, we mostly spoke about like vineyards and stuff, We're here too. Yeah. but yeah, we got into the politics. Also. Yeah. We got politics.

35:49 We talked about the fight with Alberta, the wine war. Yeah. No, he's great. He's done a lot for the community over there. I guess to kind of wrap this up, what does Steve stand for, you know, moving forward? What do you kind of have in the conversations for, what do you feel passionate about? Like if you are elected, hopefully you are, what's going to be your voice? So, you know, like I've been in the community my whole life. So I grew up in West Kelowna. I'm a local through and through, you know, the tagline we've went with on the sign is trusted leadership and proven integrity. That resonates like even more now. Thanks, Matt. That's sort of just who I am and people that know me know they can count on me, right? Like I am who I say I am. I do what I say I'm going to do.

36:31 And I really honestly and earnestly care about people. So I care that the people feel seen, respected, heard, and valued. And I don't believe governments operating that way at this current moment. I think the bureaucracy is serving itself far more than it's serving you and I. And so, you know, I'm fiscally responsible. I don't beat around the bush about it. I am a center-right conservative, but I care deeply about people. And so, you know, I want to be a force for good in BC politics. And I think there's a need for that right now. You know, I've been through the meat grinder of politics. I see how the molds are made and I can promise you I don't fit in the mold. So if you want a traditional politician, I'm not your guy. Let's just be right upfront about that. So, you know, I consider myself a leader in the area of politics.

37:13 So in the industry of politics, if you want to call it that, but I think I bring that and a lot more, and I'm really trying to focus on who I am as a person and the value that that brings to this role. Yeah. Actually, it probably presents opportunities, not only for the voter, but for you to show the differences and stuff like that. Yeah. Who you are as a person. Yeah. Actually, it probably presents opportunities not only for the voter, but for you to show the differences and stuff like that. Yeah. You are as a for the voter, but for you to show the differences and stuff like that. Yeah. You are as a person. So yeah, I'm way more optimistic about this situation now because when you first got falconed, BC United Party executed what it did. I was like, no, this is what happens in politics. Like there's good people that are trying to do good things. And then any event like this happens and it totally takes those people out of politics and it ruins what's currently been going on.

37:56 So I'm super happy you're still running and you're fighting the battle, man. So yeah, I appreciate it. Really appreciate you guys. Thank you for saying that. Okay. Yeah. So Steve, thank you so much again for coming on, man. We'll just kind of give you the platform to wrap up and say goodbye to our listener, but yeah, we really appreciate your time and what you're doing for the community. Thanks, guys. One thing I'd really appreciate I Thanks, guys. One thing I'd really appreciate is just your support. So if you're keen to support me coming forward in this election, if you want to go follow me on Instagram and Facebook, that's kind of where a lot of the content is going to live. And I do a great job of keeping people And I do a great job of keeping people updated. Oh, thanks. I appreciate Oh, thanks. I appreciate that. You know, I'm going to probably be at the door. So I'll be looking for you guys at the door. If I miss you, I'll be putting a rack card sort of under the mat or in the mailbox.

38:40 On that, there's going to be a QR code. If you are keen to support me, as I say, I would really appreciate if you scan that QR code. There's kind of low barrier info that we're asking for just so that we can get in contact with you because the get out the vote strategy is really important. So I want to know that anyone who's wanting to support me, we can give you all the access to information you need to make sure you're in the right place at the right time to cast your vote. And always happy to hear from you. So reach out, send me a message, you know, message through the website. Those links will be in the description for the podcast. Sure enough, they will. What about registering to vote? I appreciate registering to vote? That's a great question, Matt. So like you should have already received your voter ID from Elections BC.

39:22 If you haven't, I would get in touch with Elections BC, make sure you're registered in the right community so that you can vote for the candidate that's closest to home. I love I it. love it it too. Okay. Well, get out there, knock on some doors. We're supporting you, buddy. So appreciate appreciate it. I'm on it. Thanks, Steve. Steve. Okay. Have a good day. a good day.