Tanya Wall of Creston has won the nomination for the BC Liberals in the May provincial election. Wall served two terms on Creston town council and currently represents rural Creston on the board of the Regional District of Central Kootenay.
She is also the Liberal riding association president for Nelson-Creston.
Wall said she is running because the riding needs a better relationship with the provincial government.
“We need to change the focus and bring it back to local issues. Our current MLA (the NDP’s Michelle Mungall) has not done a great job on supporting local issues.”
Wall told the Star she feels “aligned very much with the BC Liberal party” because of its philosophy of free enterprise and supporting job creation.
“I believe in a balanced budget, controlled spending, those are the things that make our economy stronger, also investment in infrastructure and … investing in smaller communities. We see a lot of development in the larger centres but small communities are just as important.”
Wall says she would focus on supporting agriculture and forestry sectors “because they are major employers in our communities.”
How would she support them?
“By being a strong voice in Victoria and looking at new programming for job development, and financing for funding new agricultural growth.”
Wall considers herself part of the small business community.
“My partner has a masonry company and we are in the process of developing a new business, a new restaurant and wine bar.”
Wall thinks she can break through the stronghold Mungall has on the riding.
“People need to get out and vote and have their voices heard. We have to look at the person who is representing you in Victoria, and you have to trust that person, and they have to be respected, and in working with local government and working in the communities, I have built that trust and that respect.”
All three candidates in Nelson-Creston election are women. In addition to Mungall, Wall will be facing Kim Charlesworth of the Green Party.
“I am really excited about this,” Wall said. “All three bring something different to the table.”
Election results in Nelson-Creston in 2013 were: Sjeng Derkx (Green), 20.95 per cent; Greg Garbula (Liberal), 28.32 per cent; and Mungall, 50.73 per cent.