Columbia River-Revelstoke

Columbia River-Revelstoke was one of the largest ridings in British Columbia, spanning approximately 39,000 square kilometres across the Columbia-Shuswap and East Kootenay regions. The riding stretched along the Highway 1 and Highway 95 corridors, encompassing the communities of Revelstoke, Golden, Invermere, Radium Hot Springs, and Kimberley. The NDP's Norm Macdonald had held the seat since 2005, winning re-election in 2009 and 2013. However, Macdonald announced in May 2016 that he would not seek a fourth term, creating an open race in a riding the NDP had held for five of the previous six elections.

Candidates

Doug Clovechok (BC Liberal Party) — Clovechok held a master's degree in educational leadership from Gonzaga University and a bachelor's degree in secondary education from the University of Calgary. He had taught high school in Calgary and served as president and CEO of the Calgary Education Partnership Foundation for two decades before working as campus manager for the College of the Rockies in Invermere and Kimberley. He had run unsuccessfully against Macdonald in 2013.

Gerry Taft (BC NDP) — Taft was the mayor of Invermere and had served in local government for 15 years. He was also a small business owner who had recently sold two of his businesses, Gerry's Gelati and the Stolen Church Coffee Co. He won the NDP nomination over Invermere councillor Spring Hawes.

Samson Boyer (BC Green Party) — Boyer was 18 years old at the time of the election and worked in the hospitality and tourism industry. He was also a beekeeper from the Fairmont area.

Local Issues

The riding's vast geography created a patchwork of community-level concerns. In Revelstoke, residents raised complaints about highway maintenance and called for a dedicated conservation officer. In Golden, the ongoing conflict with CP Rail over access to whitewater rafting on the Kicking Horse River was a source of frustration for the local tourism industry. In Kimberley, residents focused on preserving their watershed from potential threats.

The proposed Jumbo Glacier ski resort remained a defining issue across the riding. Located approximately 55 kilometres west of Invermere, the resort had been approved by the provincial government and controversially designated as a municipality despite having no permanent residents. The project faced sustained opposition from First Nations groups and environmental organizations, and by 2017 it was effectively on hold. The tension between environmental protection and resource development was a recurring theme in a riding where tourism, forestry, and mining all contributed to the local economy.

Transportation infrastructure was also a concern, as many communities in the riding depended on long stretches of highway for access to services, hospitals, and employment centres. The remoteness of parts of the riding meant that health care access and ambulance response times were persistent worries for residents.