South Okanagan—West Kootenay

South Okanagan—West Kootenay stretches from the semi-arid vineyards of the southern Okanagan Valley eastward through mountain passes into the forested valleys of the West Kootenay. Created during the 2012 redistribution, the riding takes in Penticton, Oliver, Osoyoos, Grand Forks, Trail, Castlegar, Rossland, and smaller communities along the Arrow Lakes and Slocan Valley.

Candidates

Richard Cannings (NDP) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 2015, Cannings was a biologist and ornithologist born and raised in Penticton. He held a master's degree in zoology from Memorial University of Newfoundland and spent fifteen years as curator of the Cowan Vertebrate Museum at the University of British Columbia, co-authoring several books on the natural history of the Okanagan.

Helena Konanz (Conservative) — A Penticton city councillor first elected in 2011 who had served two terms on council and sat on the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen board, Konanz was also a small business owner and business coach. A graduate of UCLA, she had competed as a professional tennis player, reaching a top-100 world ranking, before later earning a master's degree in political science from UBC Okanagan.

Connie Denesiuk (Liberal) — A longtime resident of the southern Okanagan, Denesiuk owned a construction business in the region for nearly four decades. She had served on the Okanagan Skaha School Board for close to two decades, including terms as chair of the board of governors of Okanagan College.

Tara Howse (Green Party) — Based in Rossland, Howse entered the race motivated by concerns over corporate influence in Canadian politics. She won the Green nomination over a rival from New Denver.

Sean Taylor ran for the People's Party and Carolina Hopkins stood as an Independent.

About the Riding

The southern Okanagan is the centre of British Columbia's wine industry. Oliver bills itself as the wine capital of Canada, and the corridor between Oliver and Osoyoos — including distinct sub-regions such as the Golden Mile Bench, Naramata Bench, and Okanagan Falls — produces a wide range of award-winning vintages. Tree-fruit orchards and cherry farms also define the landscape, with agriculture relying heavily on seasonal labour and irrigation drawn from lake and river systems.

Across the mountains, the West Kootenay has a different economic character. The Teck Resources lead-zinc smelter in Trail, one of the world's largest, has been the dominant industrial employer for over a century. Castlegar serves as a regional hub with its airport and the main campus of Selkirk College, while Rossland — a former gold-mining town — has reinvented itself as a winter recreation destination. Smaller communities like New Denver and Nakusp depend on forestry, tourism, and small-scale agriculture.

Wildfire risk was an escalating concern, with several communities having experienced evacuations in recent fire seasons. Water management — balancing irrigation needs with ecological protection in a dry climate — was a perennial policy tension. Healthcare access remained a challenge across the riding's dispersed geography, with residents in remote areas travelling hours to reach hospital services. Recruitment of doctors and nurses to smaller towns was an ongoing struggle that shaped local debate heading into the 2019 election.