Last month, Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Doug Clovechok made a surprise announcement that he would not be seeking another term.
BC United has now announced that Scott McInnis from Kimberley will be their candidate for the seat in the upcoming provincial elections.
McInnis has lived in Kimberley since 2010, coming from Ontario. He and his wife Diana have a teenage son, Luke.
McInnis has been a teacher, in both the public and independent school system, for the past 15 years. In an introductory press release BC United says this experience make him uniquely qualify to understand the challenges facing B.C.’s education system.
“Scott’s unwavering commitment to education and child care will make him an important voice in BC United’s Team 2024 slate of candidates, and I know he will bring that commitment to all issues facing the residents of Columbia River-Revelstoke,” said BC United Leader Kevin Falcon, in the release. “BC United continues to nominate candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds including health care, business and community advocacy, demonstrating to British Columbians that we are the only party ready to form government and hit the ground running on day one.”
“I am truly humbled to have the opportunity to earn the support of our community and I look forward to bringing forward real solutions and new ideas to tackle the failing policies of the NDP,” said McInnis. “BC United is the only party with the track-record and ideas to fix the crises we are facing in health care, cost-of-living and crime — and I look forward to advocating for you each and every day.”
Clovechok himself is confident that McInnis is a strong candidate to replace him.
“It has been an honour to serve the people of this wonderful riding, and I am delighted to see someone as committed and capable as Scott McInnis step up to continue this important work,” he said. “I have no doubt Scott will be a strong advocate for our community, and we are lucky to have him stepping forward. I look forward to continuing to support Kevin Falcon and Scott McInnis through the next election.”
In his bio at votebcunited.ca, McInnis says he and his family are avid outdoor enthusiasts and stewards of the land.
In 2022, he was one of a handful of British Columbia teachers to be selected to participate in the Teacher Institute for Parliamentary Democracy in Victoria. This kickstarted his passion for politics, he says.