BURSTBC Conservative candidates from across the Okanagan joined interim party leader Lorne Doerkson on Oct. 19 to rally with about 100 supporters at Sunset Ranch Golf and Country Club in Kelowna.
Kelowna-Mission MLA candidate Gavin Dew welcomed the packed room, before addressing outgoing Kelowna city councillor Maxine DeHart and her recent health scare, in which she collapsed on Oct. 16, the day before the municipal election.
“She had fallen, she was bleeding and she was hurt,” Dew said. “We waited 50 minutes for an ambulance… but that’s the healthcare system that David Eby has given us.”
DeHart had become weak following a plasma donation earlier in the day, causing the collapse. Fortunately, by the rally on Monday DeHart appeared to be doing well as she was seen sitting next to the stage.
Following Dew’s address, Doerkson entered and was cheered by his supporters shortly after 7 p.m.
The BC Conservative Leader was quick on the heels of Dew to address healthcare, turning to DeHart to ask how she’s doing, before announcing that if elected his party would create a $50-million fund to keep emergency rooms open for British Columbians.
Doerkson said the changes in healthcare would also include security for nursing staff for added safety on the job.
While the BC NDP is promising more than a dozen new urgent and primary care centres and to hire more doctors from abroad.
The NDP also claims the B.C. Conservatives secretly plan to cut spending by reducing contingency funds.
This fund helps cover extra health-care costs, such as unexpected surgeries, and tackle other types of provincial emergencies, such as wildfires.
Doerkson says his party will not cut healthcare.
He touched on many topics during the rally, including saying that the Conservatives would prioritize the hiring of police and judges as well as oppose BC NDP Leader David Eby’s planned expansion of the provincial sales tax, which would see taxes added to professional services.
“It attacks businesses quite fiercely,” Doerkson stated.
Although Eby paused the PST expansion, which was to come into effect on Oct. 1, Doerkson believes the NDP would implement the plan if elected.
“We say no more taxes, zero taxes. As long as Lorne Doerkson is the premier of this province we will not increase your taxes,” the party leader said as the crowd roared.
Other ways the Conservatives are going to help small business, Doerkson said, is getting more B.C. products on store shelves.
“You talk to people in the craft beer business, they’ve been begging for two years to get their product on shelves in this province and so many of them haven’t been,” said Doerkson.
Doerkson also serves as the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin.
Advanced voting for the 2026 provincial election ends Oct.21, with the general election held on Oct.24.