Kootenay East MLA Tom Shypitka will run as an independent in the upcoming provincial election.
The two-term incumbent says running without a party affiliation can offer some flexibility.
“There’s a lot of things that come with being an independent: there’s increased accountability, freedom of party lines – you can move wherever you want and you can focus on strong local issues and bring them to Victoria,” said Shypitka.
Shypitka says independent candidates may have a strong voice in the Legislature.
“The perfect storm is happening. There has never been a time in B.C.’s history where an opposition government collapsed the way it has here,” said Shypitka.
“There will be a lot of independents running and this election will likely be so close that the independents will have the balance of power.”
His announcement comes after Shypitka’s former party, BC United, announced that it will not participate in the October election.
“I had no clue, none of our colleagues or staff knew that BC United was going to withdraw from the campaign,” said Shypitka.
Shypitka initially received an offer the join the BC Conservatives, which he accepted, but circumstances changed.
“In order for me to take the seat in Kootenay Rockies [formerly Kootenay East] the current Conservative candidate would have to move over to Columbia River-Revelstoke, but that didn’t happen,” said Shypitka.
“I didn’t know where I was going, I was essentially a political orphan.”
He says part of his decision to run as an independent partially stems from constituent feedback.
“I was getting tossed around like a piece of meat. It was hard to deal with, but it’s very reflective of how our riding gets treated by Victoria. What I was feeling was likely the same thing a lot of folks feel every day,” said Shypitka.
“Overwhelmingly, probably 90 per cent of the people who contacted me said they wanted me as an independent.”
Candidate nominations for the 2024 Provincial Election are due on Sept. 28, with voting day scheduled for Oct. 19.
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