Conservatives back Armstrong for Okanagan riding

The Conservative Party of B.C. has chosen its candidate for the Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream riding.

Tara Armstrong, a Kelowna resident, who the party describes as a “seasoned professional with a remarkable track record in the private sector” will carry the right wing party’s colours in the next provincial election, scheduled for Oct. 19, 2024.

In a bio on the party’s website, Armstrong said her career took flight in the field of aviation, where she held diverse roles, including the unique experience of living and working abroad in Dubai.

She returned to Canada in 2006 to join her family’s entrepreneurial start-up, embarking on a mission to execute a corporate franchise business expansion strategy with Driving Miss Daisy, a driving service for seniors.

“The endeavor bore fruit in 2007 when the business opened its doors in British Columbia, with the launch of an extra-provincial franchise in Kelowna,” the bio stated.

The party said Armstrong helped turned the small, single-province franchise business into a thriving nationwide success story over two decades.

“In 2018, she and her team pitched their business on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, securing offers from three of the formidable dragons,” the party stated

Armstrong joins Pavneet Singh of the BC United and Stephanie Hendy of the BC Greens as official candidates for the B.C. election in the Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream riding, a combination of two current ridings formed by a provincial committee to balance-out population counts in Okanagan electoral districts.

The riding’s MLA since 2009 has been Norm Letnick of BC United/BC Liberals, who is not seeking re-election.