Booted BC Conservative candidate claims Kelowna fruit packing firm wanted her gone

UPDATE 4:45 p.m.

The woman who was booted by the BC Conservatives from her candidacy in the Kelowna-Mission riding says her removal could be linked to her past activism against pollution coming from a local fruit packing plant.

Alexandra Wright, a farmer in Ellison, was a community organizer earlier this year in opposition to pollution coming from the Sandher Fruit Packers on Old Vernon Road.

On Tuesday, BC Conservative party leader John Rustad held a political event with growers at the Sandher plant.

“I was not invited to attend that meeting because of my situation,” Wright told Castanet on Friday.

"From what I understand, somebody had approached him and told him that they didn't want me to be running.”

“We always talk about how connected some of the community is, and how much influence they have, but then I guess you snap your finger, and two days later, a candidate can be gone. So it's telling,” she continued.

"It's the wonderful world of politics."

Residents around the Sandher Fruit Packers facility were in an uproar earlier this year due to effluent flowing from the facility that was emitting major odours. The provincial government levelled multiple fines against the company for continuing to discharge water used to wash fruit into a failed septic field.

The BC Conservatives would only say they booted Wright “after careful consideration of various factors related to campaign performance and conduct.”

In a statement, Sandher Fruit Packers said they were happy to host Rustad and his candidates "to discuss the challenges facing local orchards."

"Our industry matters and we will continue to engage all parties to find practical solutions that will protect jobs and secure our food supply," the company said. "Ms. Wright’s candidacy is entirely a party and matter and one that we have no comment on."

Wright says Rustad also asked her to move to the Vernon riding about three weeks ago “so that they could put in one of their buddies into my riding.”

“I said, ‘I don't live in Vernon.’ I really wouldn't feel right about doing that to my volunteers and my supporters,” she said.

She said there had been a rumour circulating amongst the Central Okanagan Conservative candidates for the past few days that one of them would get the axe.

Wright says she joined the BC Conservatives—which is now polling at 37% of intended voters—when the party was in the single-digits. Now that the party is on the verge of capturing a large number of seats, she says political opportunists are flocking to the brand.

“Where we started with the party, it was very grassroots and it was very holistic, and everybody's very supportive, and we all had the same values,” she said.

“We just really wanted to fix B.C. and work together, to combat the NDP. And over the last couple months, as you've seen, a lot of BC United people are drifting in, and I think that's changing the messaging of the party and changing the values of the party.”

Wright says she will continue to be politically active in the community.

“People should expect to see me talking out a lot more. I was a little bit muzzled while I was working with the Conservatives, but now I'm a free woman, so I'll be talking a lot more about issues that are affecting the city.”

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ORIGINAL 11:35 a.m.

The BC Conservative Party has removed its candidate for the Kelowna-Mission riding due to “various factors related to campaign performance and conduct.”

Back in February, the BC Conservative Party announced Kelowna business owner and farmer Alexandra Wright would represent the party in Kelowna-Mission in the upcoming Oct. 19 provincial election.

But Friday morning, the party took to social media to confirm that they dropped Wright as a candidate on Thursday afternoon.

“This decision was made after careful consideration of various factors related to campaign performance and conduct,” the party wrote.

“The Conservative Party remains committed to upholding the highest standards of performance and conduct for all its candidates to ensure effective representation and success in the upcoming elections.”

Castanet reached out to the BC Conservative Party for more information about why the decision was made, but a party spokesperson provided no further details outside of their social media post.

Earlier Friday morning, BC United highlighted a previous repost on Wright's X page (formerly Twitter), which advocated for criminally investigating Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

“While we disagree with many decisions made by Adrian Dix and Dr. Henry, they are not criminals,” BC United posted. “Will [BC Conservative Party leader John] Rustad arrest his political opponents or will he fire his radical candidate for Kelowna-Mission?”

John Rustad said he’s vetted all his candidates and they’re all approved.

While we disagree with many decisions made by Adrian Dix and Dr. Henry, they are not criminals.

Will Rustad arrest his political opponents or will he fire his radical candidate for Kelowna-Mission? pic.twitter.com/PWiiP9uaiV

— BC United (@voteBCUnited) August 9, 2024

It's not clear if the decision to remove Wright was based on her social media posting. The BC Conservative Party has not yet announced a replacement for Wright, but party spokesperson Anthony Koch said they still intend to run candidates in all of B.C.'s 93 ridings.

Wright, meanwhile, recently posted a cryptic image to X of a street sign with a person being pushed in front of a bus, with the heading: "caution."

At this time, Ashely Ramsay is set to represent the Kelowna-Mission riding for BC United, after incumbent MLA Renee Merrifield opted not to run for re-election. The NDP has yet to announce a candidate for the riding.