Conservative MLA for Kelowna-Mission and party finance critic, running again.
Gavin Dew won Kelowna-Mission for the Conservatives in 2024 with 51.49% of the valid vote. In the legislature in 2026 he spoke most about the PST expansion, hallway beds at Kelowna General Hospital, freedom of information and the economy.
A researched record of Gavin Dew's 23 commitments, 21 dated actions and 13 public statements, with 5 news items. Most come from what he said in the legislature in 2026 and from caucus releases that quote him.
On dates without a confirmed appearance the public schedule is unknown; the candidate may still have activities that day. This static page changes only when its research is updated.
01 / Introduction
About Gavin Dew
Gavin Dew is the Conservative Party of BC candidate in Kelowna-Mission on Elections BC's list for the general election of October 24, 2026. On the copy of the list stamped October 1, 2026 09:00:07 PM, he is the only accepted candidate in the district. He won Kelowna-Mission in 2024 with 14,071 votes, 51.49% of the valid vote, ahead of Harpreet Badohal of the BC NDP with 8,913, according to the Elections BC statement of votes.
The legislature's record for the 43rd Parliament lists him as the Conservative member for Kelowna-Mission. His caucus page calls him Shadow Minister for Finance, and Black Press and Castanet reported in August 2026 that he took the finance critic role after Peter Milobar left the party. Before that, caucus releases named him critic for small business and innovation in October 2025 and Shadow Minister for Economic Development in July and August 2026.
In the legislature in 2026 he asked for the PST expansion to be cancelled, asked the government to open empty floors at Kelowna General Hospital, introduced a bill to add brain injury to the Mental Health Act, moved a motion for an economics course for new MLAs, and spoke against the budget and against Bill 9 on freedom of information.
The party and caucus pages say he worked for two decades in business, public policy and technology, holds a BA from UBC and an MBA from the University of Oxford, and chairs the Veterans Transition Network. These are the party's and caucus's statements.
Published positions and selected commitments, separated by election cycle. Status labels describe the evidence reviewed, not a numerical score or a complete audit of the platform. Council approval is different from delivery.
23 commitments shown · Checked Oct 1
2026 · EconomyCampaign pledge
Cancel the expansion of the PST to professional services
Dew asked the government many times in 2026 to cancel the budget's expansion of the provincial sales tax (PST) to services such as accounting, bookkeeping, engineering and security. In a column of September 4, 2026, he asked the Premier to stop the expansion before it took effect on October 1.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He names the measure, the date and the revenue the government expects from it. The October 1 date was the research date, so the request as written has passed.
What still needs checking
Does a party platform or a new government repeal the PST expansion, and when?
Undo budget costs that fall on seniors and families
In his budget speech of February 23, 2026, Dew spoke against the higher interest rate on property taxes that seniors defer, and against the PST on items such as cable, land lines and knitting yarn.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He states a position. He names no measure of his own with a cost or a date.
What still needs checking
Does the campaign promise a specific change to the deferral rate or the PST on these items?
A caucus release of July 10, 2026 says Dew proposed a six-point Youth Jobs Plan. It includes a refundable tax credit for small businesses that hire people aged 15 to 24, covering 50 per cent of wages up to $5,000 per worker, and 10,000 more paid work placements over three years.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The release gives the size of the credit, a number of placements and a period. It gives no total cost.
What still needs checking
Does the party platform include the plan, with a cost?
In a post of January 30, 2026, Dew wrote that Conservatives would bring back the Small Business Roundtable, which the minister closed in December 2025, and act on its advice.
Open public construction contracts to every qualified contractor
In the debate on Bill M233 on April 13, 2026, Dew spoke for awarding public construction contracts without regard to whether workers belong to a union.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He gives no cost or date. He voted for the bill at second reading, according to the vote index.
What still needs checking
Did Bill M233 pass, and does the party promise the change?
In question period in April and May 2026, Dew asked the government to open unused space on the fifth and sixth floors of the Centennial tower at Kelowna General Hospital, which he said could hold 55 beds, while patients wait in hallway beds.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He gives a number of beds and a date to begin. He gives no cost.
On April 14, 2026, Dew introduced Bill M242, the Mental Health (Brain Injury) Amendment Act. It adds a definition of brain injury to the Mental Health Act so that a serious brain injury can be recognized for treatment under that act.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The bill passed first reading. voche.me found no later stage on 2026-10-01. He gives no cost.
Restore provincial money for the Ronald McDonald House expansion
In question period on April 23, 2026, Dew asked the minister to reverse the decision to stop provincial funding for a second Ronald McDonald House near B.C. Children's Hospital.
A caucus release of July 22, 2026 says Dew would introduce a Child Water Safety Act in the fall sitting. It would set up a school-based water survival program across the province.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
It gives a date. It gives no cost. Vernon Matters reported the election call on September 22, 2026. voche.me found no introduction of the bill on 2026-10-01.
On March 5, 2026, Dew moved an amendment to Bill 5, the Trade Recognition Act, to make the minister publish a report each year on barriers removed, use of the minister's powers and effects on consumer costs.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The transcript shows the amendment defeated in committee when the chair broke a 5 to 5 tie. It gives no cost.
Oppose the freedom of information changes in Bill 9
In the Bill 9 debates of March 11 and May 6, 2026, Dew spoke against new grounds for refusing requests and new fees, and asked for a delay of six months.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He states a position. He proposes no rule of his own with a number or date. He voted against the bill at third reading, according to the vote index.
On April 27, 2026, Dew moved Motion M205, asking the Legislative Assembly Management Committee to require a course in economics, public finance and numbers for newly elected MLAs.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The House changed the motion and passed it as amended on May 25, 2026. He voted against the amended version, according to the vote index. He gives no cost.
Keep reporting large capital projects to the legislature
In the Bill 2 debate, Dew spoke against raising the size of capital project that must be listed separately for the legislature from $50 million to $125 million.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He states a position. He gives no date.
What still needs checking
Does the campaign promise to restore the $50 million level?
In a column of September 9, 2026, written with Tony Luck, Dew proposed exploring a Municipal Growth Dividend with the Union of BC Municipalities, so that cities get part of the provincial tax money that local growth produces.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The column calls it an idea to explore. It gives no amount or date.
In the Bill 16 debate on April 20, 2026, Dew supported reducing development cost charges, which add to the cost of new homes, and asked for consultation with municipalities.
Spend more on preventing wildfires and on wildfire technology
In a column of August 28, 2026, Dew wrote that the Province spends more fighting wildfires than preventing them, and that government should buy wildfire technology made in B.C. He said a proposed $100-million Wildfire Innovation Fund has merit.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The $100 million is a proposal by the Council of Canadian Innovators. He gives no date.
In the debate on Bill 20 on May 20, 2026, Dew supported sending the K'ómoks treaty bill to the Select Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs before a vote. He objected to the treaty naming the UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples as a guide to its meaning.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He gives no date. He voted for the motion to refer and against the bill at second and third reading, according to the vote index.
What still needs checking
Does the campaign say how it would handle new treaties?
The Conservative Party of BC platform page says the platform is coming soon and lists plan titles, including plans on the economy, health care, housing, public safety and technology.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
This is party text. It does not name Dew and gives no measure, number or date.
Recorded votes where the legislature's vote index names him, and actions the official record shows him taking. A vote records how he voted. His reasons, where he gave them, are in the debates listed under statements.
Recorded vote
Voted against the 2026 budget motion
The vote index records Dew voting Nay on the budget motion.
Scope, limits and sources
The vote index records each member's name on a standing vote. The transcript of this vote was not opened.
Dew moved an amendment to clause 10 of the Trade Recognition Act requiring a yearly public report. The committee vote was 5 to 5, and the chair voted against the amendment.
Scope, limits and sources
The transcript records the motion, the debate and the division. Dew was not among the members recorded as voting.
Announced by the caucus; official record not opened
Motions in committee on Bill M216
A caucus release says Dew, as deputy chair of the committee on private members' bills, moved to hear more speakers on Bill M216 and later to end its review, and that both motions failed.
Read original statements and reporting, or open the publisher’s video. A summary of a speech is labelled separately from a full recording.
Speech
Budget debate speech
Dew spoke against the 2026 budget: the PST expansion, the seniors' property tax deferral rate, hallway beds at Kelowna General Hospital, the $400 million investment fund, debt and transport projects for Kelowna.
Dew spoke against the higher lowest income tax rate, frozen indexing of tax brackets, the PST expansion, the higher reporting threshold for capital projects and the end of the independent Merit Commissioner.
Questions in the Jobs and Economic Growth estimates
Dew asked about the Province's plan for artificial intelligence, Small Business BC, the Small Business Roundtable, the major projects list and regional innovation groups.
Records are labelled by type, including official findings, civil proceedings and political disputes where applicable. Each entry identifies the response found in the sources and the latest status verified for this page.
Policy dispute
Remarks withdrawn in the Bill 9 debate
During his Bill 9 speech on March 11, 2026, a minister asked Dew to withdraw remarks about government members. The Deputy Speaker asked him to withdraw, and he did. A second member then asked him to withdraw a remark about that member's legal training, and he withdrew it. The next morning, Premier David Eby told the House on a point of order that Dew's conduct the day before was "sexist and inappropriate".
Candidate or party response
The transcripts record Dew withdrawing both remarks. voche.me found no reply from him to the Premier's point of order.
Verified status and limits
The Speaker said the Premier's point of order was well taken and that Dew's vote would be counted. voche.me found no other ruling or official finding on 2026-10-01.
A dated reading list from independent publishers. The headings below are voche.me summaries; follow each link for the original article, context and any corrections.
Reporting
Castanet · Kathy Michaels
Dew pitches an economics course for MLAs
Reports Dew's plan for Motion M205 and quotes him on why MLAs need basic economics.
Sources checked October 1, 2026. Official records establish decisions; campaign material establishes stated positions; reporting adds investigation and context. None alone establishes every claim.
The party candidate page labels him "Interim Conservative Party Leader". A caucus release of September 21, 2026 names Lorne Doerkson as interim leader, and Dew's own post of October 1, 2026 says the same, so voche.me does not repeat that label. His career, degrees, board seats, the Forty Under 40 award and his role at the Veterans Transition Network come from the party and caucus pages and from his own words in the legislature. voche.me has not checked them with the bodies involved. The legislature's member record lists his party as the BC Green Party at the member level, while the 43rd Parliament entry and the 2024 statement of votes give the Conservative Party. voche.me uses the 43rd Parliament entry. His X account showed only its profile line without signing in, so no post is used. His Facebook and Instagram pages were not read. Castanet answered HTTP 403, so its articles were read through Internet Archive copies. Two KelownaNow reports, one on the election call and one on BC NDP candidates in Kelowna, could not be read, and an Island Social Trends report did not load. Votes are taken from the 2026 vote index; the transcripts of most votes were not opened. His speeches from 2025 were not read. The committee minutes on Bill M216 were not opened. On the Elections BC copy read, no other candidate was yet accepted in Kelowna-Mission; nominations close at 1 p.m. on October 3, 2026. No all-candidates meeting in Kelowna-Mission was found on this date. The Conservative platform page says the platform is coming and does not name him. Campaign finances and endorsements were not reviewed. The questionnaire has not been sent.
Research status
What voche.me has checked
Evidence reviewed on 2026-10-01: the Elections BC candidate list and 2024 statement of votes, the legislature's member record, the 2026 speech and vote indexes, his passages in the 53 transcripts from 2026 that those indexes point to, the party candidate and platform pages, the caucus page and 13 caucus releases, 8 posts on his own Substack page, and news reports from 2026.
Most commitments on this page come from what he said in the legislature in 2026 and from caucus releases that quote him. Sections with no entry record that voche.me found nothing on this date.
Title on his Conservative caucus page. Black Press reported on August 24, 2026 that he took over the finance critic role. It is a caucus role in opposition.
The party page says he worked for two decades in business, public policy and technology, most recently as chief strategy officer of an agriculture and food security project. This is the party's statement.
Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
No questions and answers have been supplied.
Have your own question?
Ask Gavin Dew directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
05 / About this page
Questions about this page
Facts voche.me can state about Gavin Dew's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Is this an official page for Gavin Dew?
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Gavin Dew's own campaign.
What party is Gavin Dew running with?
Gavin Dew is running for MLA with Conservative Party of BC.
Does Gavin Dew currently hold public office?
Yes. Gavin Dew currently serves as MLA for Kelowna-Mission.
How many sources does this Gavin Dew profile cite?
This profile lists 5 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Why do some questions on Gavin Dew's page show no answer?
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Gavin Dew in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
When is the election Gavin Dew is running in?
The 2026 British Columbia election, including the MLA race, is decided on October 24, 2026.
06 / Candidate contributions
Space for campaign updates
No campaign updates yet
Announcements, event details and messages can be added here, with their source and publication date. No campaign submission has been added.
