--- title: "Kelowna-Mission: candidates, history and census, BC provincial 2026 | voche.me" canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/races/mla/kelowna-mission" last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:05:19.858Z" meta: description: "4 candidates in Kelowna-Mission for the BC provincial 2026 election. The history of the area, every result since 2005, past MLAs and the 2021 census profile." "og:description": "4 candidates in Kelowna-Mission for the BC provincial 2026 election. The history of the area, every result since 2005, past MLAs and the 2021 census profile." "og:title": "Kelowna-Mission: candidates, history and census, BC provincial 2026" "twitter:description": "4 candidates in Kelowna-Mission for the BC provincial 2026 election. The history of the area, every result since 2005, past MLAs and the 2021 census profile." "twitter:title": "Kelowna-Mission: candidates, history and census, BC provincial 2026" --- ** MLA · BC PROVINCIAL 2026 # Kelowna-Mission.
4 candidates, one seat. This district elects one MLA. Voters mark one name on Saturday, October 24, 2026, and the candidate with the most votes wins the seat. Kelowna-Mission is a provincial electoral district covering the south and southeast of the City of Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley. It takes in Okanagan Mission on the shore of Okanagan Lake, East Kelowna, Mission Creek and Rutland south of Highway 33, and it reaches into the hills to include Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park. The 2021 census counted 59,705 people, and the Electoral Boundaries Commission gives its area as 523 square kilometres. ## The candidates In alphabetical order [MLA · Kelowna-Mission**OneBC**

Abraham Nordine

On the official list. Research to come.Explore the profile ](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/abraham-nordine) [![Gavin Dew, from his Conservative Party of BC candidate page.](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/images/candidates/gavin-dew-640.webp)MLA · Kelowna-Mission**Conservative Party of BC**

Gavin Dew

Researched by voche.meExplore the profile ](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/gavin-dew) [MLA · Kelowna-Mission**BC NDP**

Miriam Rycroft

Researched by voche.meExplore the profile ](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/miriam-rycroft) [MLA · Kelowna-Mission**BC Green Party**

Saoirse MacKinnon

On the official list. Research to come.Explore the profile ](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/saoirse-mackinnon)
People, 2021 census
59,705
Area
523 km²
Registered voters, 2024
45,617
Turnout, 2024
60.00%
Median age
44.8
Median household income, 2020
$93,000
THE DISTRICT ## Where Kelowna-Mission is 523 km² · 59,705 people Kelowna-Mission covers the south and southeast of Kelowna. The Electoral Boundaries Commission's 2023 final report says it includes the communities of East Kelowna, Mission Creek and Okanagan Mission, and that it also contains Rutland south of Highway 33. The report says the northern and eastern boundaries follow Springfield Road, KLO Road, Mission Creek and Highway 33. The southern boundary follows the Regional District of Central Okanagan and, in the west, runs along Okanagan Lake. The commission counts 59,723 people in the district, 11.1% from the average district population, and gives its area as 523 square kilometres. The commission's map shows the northwest corner of the district on Cadder Avenue, which runs east from Okanagan Lake to Gordon Drive. From there the line runs southeast to Guisachan Road, follows it east to Burtch Road, and follows Burtch Road south to KLO Road. The map's inset shows Pandosy Street, Richter Street, Ethel Street, Gordon Drive and Lakeshore Road south of that line, so the streets of South Pandosy lie in this district. The district runs from the lake up into the hills. The commission's map places Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park inside it, together with two Westbank First Nation reserves that the map labels Medicine Hill 11 and Medicine Hill 12. BC Parks lists three ways into Myra-Bellevue Park from the Kelowna side: Myra by McCulloch Road, June Springs, and Stewart Road East, which it calls the closest to urban Kelowna. BC Geographical Names places Okanagan Mission on the south side of Kelowna and East Kelowna on the south side of Mission Creek. Elections BC's 2024 results file lists 13 voting places inside the district, among them A.S. Matheson Elementary School, Bellevue Creek Elementary School, Black Mountain Elementary School, Chute Lake Elementary School, East Kelowna Community Hall, Quigley Elementary School, St. Andrew's Anglican Church and Okanagan College Building E. - Okanagan Mission - South Pandosy - East Kelowna - Mission Creek - Rutland (south of Highway 33) - Medicine Hill Indian Reserve 11 and Medicine Creek Indian Reserve 12 (Westbank First Nation) Sources: [British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf), [BC Parks (opens in a new tab)](https://bcparks.ca/myra-bellevue-park/), [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/17989.html), [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/1220.html), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935) HISTORY ## The history of the area Checked Thursday, October 8, 2026 ### Syilx territory and the Westbank First Nation reserves The Okanagan Nation Alliance lists Westbank First Nation among its member communities. The Alliance says the Nation has five reserves totalling 2,161 hectares, and that three of them lie on the east side of Okanagan Lake in the Kelowna area, in generally unpopulated areas. Westbank First Nation's own history page says its people are suknaqínx, sqilxʷ and syilx, that its language is nqilxʷcn, and that the territory of the syilx people is unceded. The Nation's timeline says the commissioners who set up reserves in the late 1800s and early 1900s created one at Mission Creek and two on the west side of Okanagan Lake. Westbank became an independent band on 18 October 1963, after separating from the Okanagan Indian Band. The timeline says money from a land claim settlement of 1982 bought two parcels in the Gallagher Canyon area, and that they received reserve status in 2001 as Medicine Hill Indian Reserve 11 and Medicine Creek Indian Reserve 12. The Raven's Eye newspaper reported that the land had been used only for cattle grazing and that the Nation planned community housing on it. The Westbank First Nation Self-Government Act came into force on 1 April 2005. BC Geographical Names records that the original inhabitants called Mission Creek N'wha-kwi-sen, which means smoothing stones. Sources: [Okanagan Nation Alliance (opens in a new tab)](https://syilx.org/about/member-communities/), [Westbank First Nation (opens in a new tab)](https://wfn.ca/history-territory.htm), [Raven's Eye, Aboriginal Multi-Media Society (opens in a new tab)](https://ammsa.com/publications/ravens-eye/westbank-reserve-lands-double-size), [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/24300.html), [British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf) ### The Oblate mission and the names of Mission, 1859 to 1936 The Canadian Register of Historic Places lists the Pandosy Mission at 3685 Benvoulin Road in the Mission area of Kelowna and gives 1859 as its construction date. The register names Fathers Charles Pandosy and Pierre Richard as its founders. The site has four acres with seven nineteenth-century log buildings, among them a chapel, a root house and a barn. The register calls it the first permanent non-native settlement in the Okanagan Valley and says the Okanagan Historical Society saved it from demolition in the 1950s. BC Geographical Names records that the settlement of Okanagan Mission was established in 1860 by Father Pierce Richard, Father Charles Pondosy and Brother Surel, with the names spelled as the record has them. Its post office opened on 1 October 1872 at Mission Creek under the postmaster Eli Lequime. The name was standardized as Okanagan Mission Post Office in 1905, and the office moved on 1 August 1906 under the postmaster James H. Baillie. The record places the community on the south side of the City of Kelowna. The creek took its present name officially in 1936, from the mission. Earlier maps called it Sandy River, including an 1827 Hudson Bay Company survey, and a French name for it was Riviere de l'Anse au Sable. Bellevue Creek, which flows into Okanagan Lake north of Okanagan Mission, was named in 1922 by the surveyor R.D. McCaw after a hotel that Gifford Thomson built near the creek's mouth around the turn of the century. The record says residents kept calling the creek Sawmill Creek into the 1950s. Sources: [Canadian Register of Historic Places (opens in a new tab)](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=3331), [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/17989.html), [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/24300.html), [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/3359.html) ### Casorso, St. Andrew's and the Mission hall, 1884 to 1938 Giovanni Casorso emigrated from Italy's Piedmont region in 1882, arrived in July 1883 and worked for the Oblate fathers at Okanagan Mission. The Canadian Register of Historic Places says he pre-empted 320 acres in 1884, the year his wife Rosa and three children came from Italy. He began a log house at 3877 Casorso Road in 1886. In 1907 the family moved into a frame house at 3860 Casorso Road, built with lumber milled on their land. The register calls the homestead the oldest family farm in Kelowna and places both houses in Kelowna's southeast sector. St. Andrew's Church at 4619 Lakeshore Road was built in 1910 and 1911 in the Tudor Revival style, to a plan the architect Wesley A. Peters drew in 1910. J.H. Baillie donated the land. The Reverend Thomas Greene held the first service in February 1911, and Bishop DePencier consecrated the church in April 1911. The register calls it the oldest surviving Anglican church in Kelowna and notes the churchyard cemetery beside it. Elections BC's 2024 results file lists St. Andrew's Anglican Church as a voting place inside this district. The Okanagan Mission Community Hall at 4409 Lakeshore Road was built in the winter of 1937 to 1938 with local donations and donated labour. It replaced an earlier hall that collapsed in 1937 under heavy snow. The register says the building served as the Okanagan Mission School in 1949 and 1950. Sources: [Canadian Register of Historic Places (opens in a new tab)](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7198), [Canadian Register of Historic Places (opens in a new tab)](https://historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7197), [Canadian Register of Historic Places (opens in a new tab)](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7138), [Canadian Register of Historic Places (opens in a new tab)](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7137), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935) ### East Kelowna: post office, water and packing, 1909 to 1940 BC Geographical Names records that the East Kelowna post office opened on 1 November 1909, closed on 26 April 1926 and reopened on 16 May 1928. The record places the community on the south side of Mission Creek. The Water Bucket website says the South East Kelowna Irrigation District was incorporated by letters patent on 2 November 1920. The Mission Creek Restoration Initiative says the district installed a major irrigation system through Gallagher's Canyon in the 1930s. George Washington Ward, an English-born building contractor who arrived in Kelowna in 1911, founded the Apex Orchard Company in 1926 with his sons Harry and Arthur. The register says the family moved to South Kelowna from Glenmore in 1927 and that Apex stopped packing in 1939, when centralized selling began. The George Ward Packing House at 2287 Ward Road, built in 1926, is listed as one of the few such buildings left in the City of Kelowna, and the same family used it for more than three-quarters of a century. The East Kelowna Community Hall at 2704 East Kelowna Road opened in 1940, built by volunteers after a Community Hall Board formed in 1938. It replaced a hall of 1929, on land that the businessman Harry R.F. Dodd donated in 1937. Additions followed in 1955 and 1970. The register says the hall has hosted fruit growers' meetings, weddings, concerts and Fall Fairs from 1951 to 1955, which were revived in the 1990s. Elections BC's 2024 results file lists East Kelowna Community Hall as a voting place inside the district. Sources: [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/1220.html), [Water Bucket (opens in a new tab)](https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/2006/02/28/south-east-kelowna-irrigation-district/), [Mission Creek Restoration Initiative (opens in a new tab)](https://www.missioncreek.ca/illustrated-history/), [Canadian Register of Historic Places (opens in a new tab)](https://historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=12031), [Canadian Register of Historic Places (opens in a new tab)](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7200), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935) ### The Kettle Valley Railway at Myra Canyon, 1912 to 2023 Parks Canada says the Myra Canyon section of the Kettle Valley Railway was built from 1912 to 1914 and that the railway operated until 1978. The section is a National Historic Site of Canada because the location, layout and construction of the line through the canyon are an outstanding engineering achievement. BC Parks says Myra Station was named for Myra Newman, the daughter of a Kettle Valley Railway engineer. Myra-Bellevue Protected Area was established on 18 April 2001 through the Okanagan-Shuswap Land Resource Management Plan, and the province reclassified it as a provincial park in May 2004. BC Parks counts 16 wood-frame trestles, two steel bridges and two tunnels along an 8.8-kilometre section of the canyon. The commission's map places Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park inside Kelowna-Mission. A Trans Canada Trail report of 4 July 2007 says the 2003 fire destroyed 12 of the 16 wooden trestles and closed the trail. The Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Society led the rebuilding with federal and provincial funding, and it had restored the trail in the mid-1990s. BC Parks wrote in September 2023 that the trestles need significant maintenance every 15 years, and that construction in fall 2023 on the first eight trestles would widen them from 5 feet to 9 feet. Sources: [Parks Canada (opens in a new tab)](https://pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=10049), [BC Parks (opens in a new tab)](https://bcparks.ca/myra-bellevue-park/), [Trans Canada Trail (opens in a new tab)](https://tctrail.ca/?p=214), [BC Parks (opens in a new tab)](https://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcparksblog/?p=36947), [British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf) ### A new school, regional district areas and the 1973 city boundary, 1964 to 1973 School District 23's page on A.S. Matheson Elementary School says the school was built between 1964 and 1966 near the end of Glenmore Street, now Gordon Drive, and that its first students started in April 1965. The Regional District of Central Okanagan held eight meetings in the autumn of 1966 about forming the district. Its historical review records the second on 29 September 1966 in the Okanagan Mission Community Hall, for people living south of Mission Creek and in the Okanagan Mission area. The last was on 19 October 1966 in the East Kelowna Community Hall. When the regional district began in 1967, Electoral Area D covered South and East Kelowna, Area E covered South Pandosy and Area F covered Okanagan Mission. Supplementary letters patent of 29 May 1969 created Area I, which took in Belgo, South Okanagan Mission, Ellison and Joe Rich. The review says community planning areas covering South Pandosy and Rutland, north to Pino Road, lay outside the City of Kelowna in 1969. The provincial boundary extension took effect on 15 December 1973 and brought Okanagan Mission, South Pandosy, South and East Kelowna, Rutland and Black Mountain into the city. Sources: [A.S. Matheson Elementary School, School District 23 (opens in a new tab)](https://asm.sd23.bc.ca/documents/38d66366-edf8-41e7-9a4a-62026e64065c), [Regional District of Central Okanagan (opens in a new tab)](https://www.rdco.com/media/wygacnc3/a-look-into-the-past-rdco-historical-review-1967-2006.pdf) ### Mission Creek, the dyke and the regional parks, 1938 to 2000 The Mission Creek Restoration Initiative says channelization and diking in the 1950s protected nearby land from flooding. It says the floodplain channel shortened from 30 kilometres to 11 kilometres. The regional district's review says the province built the dyke to prevent flooding of private land during the spring floods. The Mission Creek Greenway, a walking and cycling path, runs on the dyke. The review says the Friends of Mission Creek Society proposed it and raised more than $2.8 million, working with the regional district, the City of Kelowna, the province and Westbank First Nation. Phases One and Two run from Lakeshore Road, where it crosses Mission Creek, to Gallagher's Canyon. The Environmental Education Centre in Mission Creek Regional Park opened on 25 September 1994. The Initiative says Mission Creek became a BC Heritage River in 1996. The review lists two regional park acquisitions in the Mission area of the City of Kelowna: Bertram Creek Regional Park on Lakeshore Road, acquired on 30 May 1977, and Cedar Mountain on Chute Lake Road, acquired on 20 June 2000. Sources: [Mission Creek Restoration Initiative (opens in a new tab)](https://www.missioncreek.ca/about-mission-creek/), [Mission Creek Restoration Initiative (opens in a new tab)](https://www.missioncreek.ca/illustrated-history/), [Regional District of Central Okanagan (opens in a new tab)](https://www.rdco.com/media/wygacnc3/a-look-into-the-past-rdco-historical-review-1967-2006.pdf) ### The Okanagan Mountain Park fire, 2003 The Firestorm 2003 Provincial Review, chaired by Gary Filmon, lists the Okanagan Mt. Park Fire at Kelowna as starting on 16 August 2003. It says Kelowna recorded its driest June, July and August since records began in 1899, with a record 44 consecutive rainless days. Global News reported in August 2023 that a lightning strike started the fire. It reports that 15 homes were lost on the first night and 224 on the second, when the fire reached the Crawford area, and that 239 homes were lost in total. The article says the fire moved across the south slopes of Kelowna's Mission neighbourhood and died out on its own in mid-September. On 22 and 23 October 2003 a flash flood and debris flow struck near Kelowna. The review quotes Mayor Walter Gray, who said the flow came in a storm of a kind expected once in 200 years, and that the fire had left the slopes without the grass, brush and trees that absorb rain. Sources: [Government of British Columbia (opens in a new tab)](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/public-safety-and-emergency-services/wildfire-status/governance/bcws_firestormreport_2003.pdf), [Global News (opens in a new tab)](https://globalnews.ca/news/9900259/kelownas-finest-hour-born-from-the-ravages-of-fire/) THE SEAT ## Who has held the seat Legislative Assembly records, 37th Parliament onward The name Kelowna-Mission first appears at the 2001 provincial general election. Elections BC's volume for 1987 to 2001 says the Electoral Districts Act (SBC 1999 c. 31) took effect on 18 April 2001 and raised the number of districts from 75 to 79. The same volume lists Sindi Hawkins of the BC Liberal Party as the winner in Okanagan West in 1996 with 15,575 votes (46.00%) and in Kelowna-Mission in 2001 with 15,351 votes (64.60%). She won again in 2005 with 13,827 votes (53.72%). The legislature's records list her as the member in the 37th and 38th Parliaments. Steve Thomson of the BC Liberal Party won in 2009 with 11,506 votes (53.90%), in 2013 with 13,687 votes (56.87%) and in 2017 with 15,401 votes (57.18%). In 2020 Renee Merrifield received 13,483 votes (50.76%), against 8,605 (32.39%) for Krystal Smith of the BC NDP and 4,476 (16.85%) for Amanda Poon of the BC Green Party. Elections BC's results file lists Merrifield under the BC Liberal Party, and the legislature's records list her as a member of BC United in the 42nd Parliament. The Electoral Boundaries Commission kept the name in its April 2023 final report. It wrote that it heard requests to unite Rutland, which the boundary along Highway 33 divides, in a single riding. It found Rutland's population too large to include in one riding without disruptive changes to surrounding districts, and it did not recommend the change. Elections BC's conversion table records overlaps between the district's 84 voting areas and the 2017 to 2024 districts: 83 with Kelowna-Mission, 9 with Kelowna West, 1 with Boundary-Similkameen and 1 with Penticton. In 2024 Gavin Dew of the Conservative Party won Kelowna-Mission with 14,071 votes (51.49%). Harpreet Badohal of the BC NDP received 8,913 votes (32.61%), Ashley Ramsay with no affiliation 2,996 (10.96%) and Billy Young of the BC Green Party 1,349 (4.94%). Turnout was 60% of 45,617 registered voters. The legislature's records list Gavin Dew as the member for Kelowna-Mission in the 43rd Parliament, for the Conservative Party of British Columbia. Sources: [British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1987-2001-ElectionHistory.pdf), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2002-2013-ElectionHistory.pdf), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/statement-of-votes-2024-provincial-election.pdf), [Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (opens in a new tab)](https://www.leg.bc.ca/members) Members for Kelowna-Mission | Parliament | It sat | Member | Elected as | Party on the legislature’s record | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 43rd | 2025 to 2026 | Gavin Dew | Conservative Party | Conservative Party of BC | | 42nd | 2020 to 2024 | Renee Merrifield | BC Liberal Party | BC United | | 41st | 2017 to 2020 | Steve Thomson | BC Liberal Party | BC Liberal Party | | 40th | 2013 to 2017 | Steve Thomson | BC Liberal Party | BC Liberal Party | | 39th | 2009 to 2013 | Steve Thomson | BC Liberal Party | BC Liberal Party | | 38th | 2005 to 2009 | Sindi Hawkins | BC Liberal Party | BC Liberal Party | | 37th | 2001 to 2005 | Sindi Hawkins | | BC Liberal Party | “Elected as” is the affiliation Elections BC printed with the winning result. The last column is the party the legislature’s records give for that parliament, which differs when a member changed party while in office. A row with that column empty is a winner Elections BC prints whom the legislature’s records leave out. Source: [Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (opens in a new tab)](https://www.leg.bc.ca/members) ### Boundaries since 2024 Kelowna-Mission has 84 voting areas. 83 of them overlap the district of the same name used from 2017 to 2024. Others overlap these districts from 2017 to 2024: Kelowna West (9), Boundary-Similkameen (1), Penticton (1). The commission that drew the boundaries counted 59,723 people in the district, 11.1% above the average for a district, over 523 km². Sources: [British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission, Final report, April 3, 2023 (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf), [Elections BC, Voting area conversion table, 2017 to 2024 (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/fb26db04-780c-4229-a147-da4fd5311d36) PAST RESULTS ## Every result since 2005 From Elections BC
**2024 Provincial General Election**Gavin Dew, Conservative Party, 51.49% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Gavin DewElected | Conservative Party | 14,071 | 51.49% | | Harpreet Badohal | BC NDP | 8,913 | 32.61% | | Ashley Ramsay | No affiliation | 2,996 | 10.96% | | Billy Young | BC Green Party | 1,349 | 4.94% | 27,329 valid votes · 43 rejected ballots · 45,617 registered voters · 60.00% voted
**2020 General Election**Renee Merrifield, BC Liberal Party, 50.76% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Renee MerrifieldElected | BC Liberal Party | 13,483 | 50.76% | | Krystal Smith | BC NDP | 8,605 | 32.39% | | Amanda Poon | BC Green Party | 4,476 | 16.85% | 26,564 valid votes · 272 rejected ballots
**2017 General Election**Steve Thomson, BC Liberal Party, 57.18% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Steve ThomsonElected | BC Liberal Party | 15,401 | 57.18% | | Harwinder Kaur Sandhu | BC NDP | 5,720 | 21.24% | | Rainer Wilkins | BC Green Party | 3,836 | 14.24% | | Charles Hardy | Conservative | 1,976 | 7.34% | 26,933 valid votes · 112 rejected ballots
**2013 General Election**Steve Thomson, BC Liberal Party, 56.86% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Steve ThomsonElected | BC Liberal Party | 13,687 | 56.86% | | Tish Lakes | BC NDP | 6,221 | 25.84% | | Mike McLoughlin | Conservative | 3,051 | 12.67% | | Dayleen Van Ryswyk | No affiliation | 1,113 | 4.62% | 24,072 valid votes · 161 rejected ballots
**2009 General Election**Steve Thomson, BC Liberal Party, 53.90% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Steve ThomsonElected | BC Liberal Party | 11,506 | 53.90% | | Tisha Kalmanovitch | BC NDP | 5,566 | 26.07% | | Mark Thompson | Conservative | 2,531 | 11.86% | | Crystal Wariach | BC Green Party | 1,563 | 7.32% | | Silverado Brooks Socrates | Independent | 130 | 0.61% | | Daniel Bonaventure Thorburn | BC Refed | 51 | 0.24% | 21,347 valid votes · 115 rejected ballots
**2005 General Election**Sindi Hawkins, BC Liberal Party, 53.72% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sindi HawkinsElected | BC Liberal Party | 13,827 | 53.72% | | Nicki Hokazono | BC NDP | 8,189 | 31.82% | | Paddy Weston | BC Green Party | 3,308 | 12.85% | | Shilo Lavallee | BC Marijuana Party | 320 | 1.24% | | Steve Roebuck | Communist Party of BC | 94 | 0.37% | 25,738 valid votes · 217 rejected ballots
The boundaries changed before the 2009, 2017 and 2024 elections, so a result under the same name can cover a different area. Sources: [Elections BC, Provincial Voting Results (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935), [Statement of Votes, 2024 Provincial General Election (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/statement-of-votes-2024-provincial-election.pdf) PEOPLE · 2021 CENSUS ## Who lives in Kelowna-Mission 59,705 residents · British Columbia beside each figure ### Age
Median age
44.8BC 42.8
- Under 1514.8%BC 14.3% - 15 to 6462.1%BC 65.3% - 65 and over23.0%BC 20.3% - 85 and over3.5%BC 2.4% ### Households
Households
24,050
People per household
2.4BC 2.4
#### Who lives together - Couples with children23.9%BC 22.7% - Couples without children30.8%BC 26.4% - One-parent families6.8%BC 7.6% - Multigenerational households2.4%BC 3.7% - People living alone25.3%BC 29.4% #### Household size - 1 person25.3%BC 29.4% - 2 persons39.3%BC 35.3% - 3 persons13.8%BC 14.5% - 4 persons13.8%BC 12.6% - 5 or more persons7.8%BC 8.2% ### Homes
Median home value
$800,000BC $785,000
Median monthly rent and utilities
$1,560BC $1,370
Median monthly cost for owners
$1,290BC $1,320
#### Own or rent - Own their home75.0%BC 66.8% - Rent their home25.0%BC 32.8% #### Type of home - Single-detached house56.1%BC 42.4% - Semi-detached house4.5%BC 3.1% - Row house6.7%BC 8.3% - Apartment or flat in a duplex9.8%BC 12.2% - Apartment in a building that has fewer than five storeys19.7%BC 20.4% - Apartment in a building that has five or more storeys0.9%BC 10.9% - Other single-attached house0.2%BC 0.2% - Movable dwelling2.1%BC 2.5% #### When the home was built - 1960 or earlier5.1%BC 12.5% - 1961 to 198028.2%BC 27.0% - 1981 to 199016.8%BC 14.2% - 1991 to 200015.2%BC 16.5% - 2001 to 20059.9%BC 6.0% - 2006 to 20109.7%BC 8.0% - 2011 to 20156.1%BC 6.6% - 2016 to 20219.1%BC 9.1% ### Housing costs - Renters paying 30% or more of income on housing43.0%BC 37.8% - Owners paying 30% or more of income on housing16.5%BC 19.3% - Renters in core housing need15.4%BC 24.7% - Owners in core housing need4.0%BC 8.0% - Renters in subsidized housing4.9%BC 11.0% - Owners with a mortgage55.0%BC 57.5% ### Income Income is for the year 2020.
Median household income
$93,000BC $85,000
After tax
$82,000BC $76,000
Median income per person
$43,200BC $40,800
#### Living on a low income (after-tax measure) - All ages8.5%BC 10.8% - Under 1810.4%BC 11.3% - 18 to 647.6%BC 9.7% - 65 and over9.4%BC 13.8% ### Languages #### First language learned - English83.8%BC 67.1% - German2.1%BC 1.0% - Punjabi (Panjabi)1.5%BC 4.9% - French1.4%BC 1.2% - Spanish0.9%BC 1.2% - Mandarin0.8%BC 4.1% - Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)0.7%BC 1.7% - Italian0.5%BC 0.4% - Korean0.5%BC 1.2% - Russian0.4%BC 0.6% #### Spoken most often at home - English92.4%BC 78.5% - Punjabi (Panjabi)1.1%BC 3.8% - Mandarin0.6%BC 3.3% - German0.4%BC 0.1% - Spanish0.4%BC 0.6% - Korean0.4%BC 0.9% - French0.3%BC 0.3% - Yue (Cantonese)0.3%BC 2.8% #### English and French - English only91.4%BC 90.1% - English and French7.9%BC 6.6% - Neither English nor French0.6%BC 3.3% ### Immigration
Born outside Canada (immigrants)
14.9%BC 29.0%
Non-permanent residents
2.1%BC 3.5%
#### Where immigrants were born - United Kingdom17.7%BC 8.2% - India8.1%BC 13.8% - Germany7.5%BC 2.2% - United States of America6.4%BC 4.2% - Philippines5.8%BC 9.2% - China5.8%BC 15.3% - South Africa, Republic of3.1%BC 1.1% - Poland2.7%BC 1.0% - Oceania and other places of birth2.6%BC 2.3% - Korea, South2.1%BC 3.3% #### When immigrants arrived - Arrived before 198030.3%BC 19.7% - 1980 to 199011.6%BC 11.5% - 1991 to 200014.2%BC 21.0% - 2001 to 201018.8%BC 22.2% - 2011 to 202125.2%BC 25.6% #### Generations in Canada - First generation18.6%BC 33.7% - Second generation19.9%BC 21.7% - Third generation or more61.6%BC 44.5% ### Identity and origins
Indigenous identity
4.8%BC 5.9%
Visible minority
12.2%BC 34.4%
#### Visible minority groups - South Asian3.4%BC 9.6% - Chinese2.1%BC 11.2% - Filipino1.3%BC 3.5% - Black1.2%BC 1.3% - Japanese1.0%BC 0.9% - Latin American0.8%BC 1.3% - Korean0.6%BC 1.5% - Southeast Asian0.5%BC 1.5% - Multiple visible minorities0.5%BC 1.2% - West Asian0.3%BC 1.4% - Arab0.2%BC 0.6% - Visible minority (other)0.2%BC 0.4% #### Ethnic or cultural origins reported most often - English26.9%BC 20.7% - German19.4%BC 11.0% - Scottish19.4%BC 15.8% - Irish15.7%BC 12.8% - Canadian12.7%BC 9.3% - French9.1%BC 6.4% - Ukrainian7.7%BC 4.3% - British Isles4.6%BC 3.9% - Polish4.4%BC 2.7% - Italian4.2%BC 3.3% ### Religion - No religion53.0%BC 52.1% - Christian41.6%BC 34.3% - Sikh2.1%BC 5.9% - Other religions0.9%BC 1.0% - Muslim0.8%BC 2.6% - Buddhist0.6%BC 1.7% - Hindu0.6%BC 1.7% - Jewish0.4%BC 0.5% - Traditional Indigenous spirituality0.1%BC 0.2% ### Education Highest level completed, ages 25 to 64. - No certificate, diploma or degree5.5%BC 8.0% - High school diploma25.1%BC 25.8% - College, trades or other certificate below a bachelor’s degree36.2%BC 31.2% - Bachelor’s degree or higher33.2%BC 35.0% ### Work
In the labour force
62.8%BC 63.3%
Employed
58.2%BC 57.9%
Unemployment rate at the census
7.3%BC 8.4%
#### Industries with the most workers - Health care and social assistance16.0%BC 12.3% - Retail trade12.2%BC 11.6% - Construction11.3%BC 9.0% - Professional, scientific and technical services8.9%BC 9.2% - Accommodation and food services7.4%BC 7.0% - Educational services7.2%BC 7.4% - Other services (except public administration)4.5%BC 4.4% - Manufacturing4.5%BC 5.9% #### Kinds of work - Sales and service occupations26.7%BC 25.6% - Business, finance and administration occupations17.5%BC 17.1% - Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations17.1%BC 18.0% - Health occupations10.9%BC 7.7% - Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services10.6%BC 11.9% - Natural and applied sciences and related occupations6.4%BC 8.0% - Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations3.4%BC 2.8% - Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport3.0%BC 4.2% - Occupations in manufacturing and utilities2.8%BC 3.4% - Legislative and senior management occupations1.7%BC 1.2% ### Getting to work #### Where people worked - Worked at home21.8%BC 22.6% - Worked outside Canada0.2%BC 0.4% - No fixed workplace address14.7%BC 15.3% - Worked at a usual workplace63.3%BC 61.6% #### How commuters travelled - Car, truck or van86.5%BC 79.9% - Public transit3.3%BC 9.3% - On foot5.1%BC 6.5% - Bicycle2.4%BC 2.0% - Other method2.7%BC 2.3% #### Length of the trip - Less than 15 minutes37.4%BC 31.8% - 15 to 29 minutes45.5%BC 34.0% - 30 to 44 minutes11.2%BC 19.7% - 45 to 59 minutes2.5%BC 7.3% - 60 minutes and over3.3%BC 7.2% ### Moving Where residents lived five years before the census. - Lived at the same address52.7%BC 56.2% - Moved within the same municipality20.7%BC 16.1% - Moved from elsewhere in BC13.7%BC 17.0% - Moved from another province8.7%BC 4.6% - Moved from another country4.2%BC 6.1% Counts in the census are rounded to the nearest 5, and shares are worked out from those counts. Source: [BC Stats, from Statistics Canada tabulations, 2021 Census Profile for BC Provincial Electoral Districts (2023 Redistribution) (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/census-profiles-for-bc-provincial-electoral-districts) QUESTIONS ## Questions about Kelowna-Mission 11 answers ### Where is Kelowna-Mission? Kelowna-Mission is a provincial electoral district in the south and southeast of the City of Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley. The Electoral Boundaries Commission's 2023 report says its northern and eastern boundaries follow Springfield Road, KLO Road, Mission Creek and Highway 33. Its southern boundary follows the Regional District of Central Okanagan and, in the west, runs along Okanagan Lake. ### Which communities are in Kelowna-Mission? The Electoral Boundaries Commission's 2023 report says Kelowna-Mission includes the communities of East Kelowna, Mission Creek and Okanagan Mission, and that it also contains Rutland south of Highway 33. Elections BC's 2024 results file lists 13 voting places inside the district, among them East Kelowna Community Hall, St. Andrew's Anglican Church and Okanagan College Building E. ### Who is the MLA for Kelowna-Mission? Gavin Dew of the Conservative Party of British Columbia is the member for Kelowna-Mission in the legislature's records for the 43rd Parliament, from 2025. He won the seat in 2024 with 14,071 votes. Renee Merrifield held it in the 42nd Parliament from 2020 to 2024, and Steve Thomson held it from 2009 to 2020. ### Who won Kelowna-Mission in the 2024 provincial election? Gavin Dew of the Conservative Party won Kelowna-Mission in 2024 with 14,071 votes, which is 51.49% of the valid vote. Harpreet Badohal of the BC NDP received 8,913 votes, Ashley Ramsay with no affiliation 2,996 and Billy Young of the BC Green Party 1,349. Turnout was 60% of 45,617 registered voters. ### Which older districts became Kelowna-Mission? Elections BC's conversion table records overlaps between the 84 voting areas of Kelowna-Mission and the districts of 2017 to 2024: 83 with the old Kelowna-Mission, 9 with Kelowna West, 1 with Boundary-Similkameen and 1 with Penticton. The district name has been in use since the 2001 election, and the 2023 report kept it. ### How many people live in Kelowna-Mission? The 2021 census counted 59,705 people in Kelowna-Mission, with a median age of 44.8 compared with 42.8 for British Columbia. Of the homes, 75% are owned and 25% are rented. The median household income was $93,000, against $85,000 for the province. The Electoral Boundaries Commission's own count is 59,723 people. ### When was the name Kelowna-Mission first used? The name Kelowna-Mission was first used at the 2001 provincial general election, after the Electoral Districts Act took effect on 18 April 2001 and raised the number of districts from 75 to 79. Sindi Hawkins of the BC Liberal Party won it with 15,351 votes. Elections BC's volume for 1987 to 2001 lists her as the member for Okanagan West in 1996. ### What is Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park? Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park lies inside Kelowna-Mission on the Electoral Boundaries Commission's map. BC Parks says it was established as a protected area on 18 April 2001 and reclassified as a provincial park in May 2004. It protects part of the Kettle Valley Railway at Myra Canyon, which has 16 wood-frame trestles, two steel bridges and two tunnels. ### How did Okanagan Mission get its name? Okanagan Mission is named for the mission that BC Geographical Names says was established there in 1860. The Canadian Register of Historic Places names Fathers Charles Pandosy and Pierre Richard as the founders of the Pandosy Mission. BC Geographical Names records that Mission Creek took its present name from the mission, officially in 1936, and places Okanagan Mission on the south side of Kelowna. ### Which First Nation has reserves in Kelowna-Mission? Westbank First Nation, a member of the Okanagan Nation Alliance, has reserves in Kelowna-Mission. The Nation's timeline says two parcels in the Gallagher Canyon area received reserve status in 2001 as Medicine Hill Indian Reserve 11 and Medicine Creek Indian Reserve 12. The commission's map for Kelowna-Mission shows two reserves labelled Medicine Hill 11 and Medicine Hill 12. ### When did Okanagan Mission join the City of Kelowna? Okanagan Mission joined the City of Kelowna on 15 December 1973, when the provincial boundary extension took effect, according to the Regional District of Central Okanagan's historical review. The extension also brought in South Pandosy, South and East Kelowna, Rutland and Black Mountain. Before that, Okanagan Mission was Electoral Area F of the regional district. SOURCES ## Where this page comes from Figures read Thursday, October 8, 2026 1. [2021 Census Profile for BC Provincial Electoral Districts (2023 Redistribution) (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/census-profiles-for-bc-provincial-electoral-districts)BC Stats, from Statistics Canada tabulations · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 2. [Provincial Voting Results (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 3. [Statement of Votes, 2024 Provincial General Election (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/statement-of-votes-2024-provincial-election.pdf)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 4. [Voting area conversion table, 2017 to 2024 (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/fb26db04-780c-4229-a147-da4fd5311d36)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 5. [Final report, April 3, 2023 (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf)British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 6. [Members of the Legislative Assembly, 35th to 43rd Parliament (opens in a new tab)](https://www.leg.bc.ca/members)Legislative Assembly of British Columbia · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 7. [Final report, April 3, 2023 (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf)British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 8. [Electoral History of British Columbia, Supplement, 1987 to 2001 (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1987-2001-ElectionHistory.pdf)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 9. [Electoral History of British Columbia, Supplement, 2002 to 2013 (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2002-2013-ElectionHistory.pdf)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 10. [Provincial Voting Results (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 11. [Statement of Votes, 2024 Provincial General Election (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/statement-of-votes-2024-provincial-election.pdf)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 12. [Members of the Legislative Assembly (opens in a new tab)](https://www.leg.bc.ca/members)Legislative Assembly of British Columbia · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 13. [Member communities (opens in a new tab)](https://syilx.org/about/member-communities/)Okanagan Nation Alliance · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 14. [History and territory (opens in a new tab)](https://wfn.ca/history-territory.htm)Westbank First Nation · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 15. [Westbank reserve lands double in size (opens in a new tab)](https://ammsa.com/publications/ravens-eye/westbank-reserve-lands-double-size)Raven's Eye, Aboriginal Multi-Media Society · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 16. [Mission Creek, BC Geographical Names record (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/24300.html)BC Geographical Names Office · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 17. [Okanagan Mission, BC Geographical Names record (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/17989.html)BC Geographical Names Office · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 18. [Bellevue Creek, BC Geographical Names record (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/3359.html)BC Geographical Names Office · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 19. [East Kelowna, BC Geographical Names record (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/1220.html)BC Geographical Names Office · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 20. [Pandosy Mission (opens in a new tab)](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=3331)Canadian Register of Historic Places · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 21. [Second Casorso House (opens in a new tab)](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7198)Canadian Register of Historic Places · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 22. [Third Casorso House (opens in a new tab)](https://historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7197)Canadian Register of Historic Places · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 23. [St. Andrew's Church (opens in a new tab)](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7138)Canadian Register of Historic Places · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 24. [Okanagan Mission Community Hall (opens in a new tab)](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7137)Canadian Register of Historic Places · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 25. [George Ward Packing House (opens in a new tab)](https://historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=12031)Canadian Register of Historic Places · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 26. [East Kelowna Community Hall (opens in a new tab)](https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=7200)Canadian Register of Historic Places · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 27. [South East Kelowna Irrigation District (opens in a new tab)](https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/2006/02/28/south-east-kelowna-irrigation-district/)Water Bucket · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 28. [Illustrated history of Mission Creek (opens in a new tab)](https://www.missioncreek.ca/illustrated-history/)Mission Creek Restoration Initiative · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 29. [A closer look at Mission Creek (opens in a new tab)](https://www.missioncreek.ca/about-mission-creek/)Mission Creek Restoration Initiative · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 30. [Myra Canyon Section of the Kettle Valley Railway National Historic Site of Canada (opens in a new tab)](https://pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=10049)Parks Canada · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 31. [Myra-Bellevue Park (opens in a new tab)](https://bcparks.ca/myra-bellevue-park/)BC Parks · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 32. [Maintaining the historic Myra Canyon Trestles (opens in a new tab)](https://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcparksblog/?p=36947)BC Parks · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 33. [The Myra Canyon Restoration Project (opens in a new tab)](https://tctrail.ca/?p=214)Trans Canada Trail · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 34. [Who Was A. S. Matheson? (opens in a new tab)](https://asm.sd23.bc.ca/documents/38d66366-edf8-41e7-9a4a-62026e64065c)A.S. Matheson Elementary School, School District 23 · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 35. [A Look Into the Past: A Historical Review 1967 to 2006 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.rdco.com/media/wygacnc3/a-look-into-the-past-rdco-historical-review-1967-2006.pdf)Regional District of Central Okanagan · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 36. [Firestorm 2003 Provincial Review (opens in a new tab)](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/public-safety-and-emergency-services/wildfire-status/governance/bcws_firestormreport_2003.pdf)Government of British Columbia · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 37. [Kelowna's finest hour born from the ravages of fire (opens in a new tab)](https://globalnews.ca/news/9900259/kelownas-finest-hour-born-from-the-ravages-of-fire/)Global News · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 ## Official information From Elections BC Your district ### [Check which district an address is in](https://elections.bc.ca/resources/maps/find-your-district/) Look up your address to be sure this district is yours. [Look it up (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/resources/maps/find-your-district/) Candidates ### [The official candidate list](https://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/fin/GE-2026-10-24-Candidate-Website-Report.PDF) The list this page is built from, published by Elections BC. [Open the list (opens in a new tab)](https://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/fin/GE-2026-10-24-Candidate-Website-Report.PDF) Voting ### [Where and when to vote](https://elections.bc.ca/2026-provincial-election/where-to-vote/) Voting places and hours for general voting day and advance voting. [Find your voting place (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/2026-provincial-election/where-to-vote/) ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.