FORSETH – Independent investigation into election questions needed

SINCE LATE THURSDAY morning (01/09), much has been said about issues Conservative Party of BC leader John Rustad raised about possible irregularities in last Fall’s provincial election – and in particular, in the riding of Surrey-Guilford.

I shared the story online, and one of the most concerning comments I received was a simple one-word response, “Snore.”

Maybe you’ll agree it’s snore worthy (I hope not), however, how would individuals — partisan to another political party — feel if the shoe was on the other foot?

Irregularities in any riding, including those that benefit one candidate over another, should concern us. Our democracy is based on trust, and in this instance, that trust seems to be in question.

I know post-election BC Conservative leader John Rustad indicated the party would take time to review possible election irregularities, and now, two and a half months later, issues have been brought forward that, at least to me, are indeed questionable.

It is alleged that votes were cast by 22 people that did not even reside in the riding, as well as individuals casting more than one vote, and even people going to vote and being told someone had already cast a ballot using their name.

In reading and listening to multiple news reports yesterday, one thing really popped for me, that was the 21 mail-in ballots from Argyll Lodge.

A CBC News story quotes Fraser Health as stating, “the home consists of 25 beds” and “provides therapeutic programs and activities focused on maintaining and promoting mental, physical, emotional, and social health for adults.”

In that same story, owner and manager Baljit Kandola called it, “a mental health and addictions facility.”

That’s fine so far but did either of those two numbers trigger anything for you, because they certainly did for me?

According the Elections BC, just over 2.1 million people participated in the 2024 provincial election – a voter turnout that they estimated to be 58.3 percent.

So, province wide, 58.3 percent of British Columbians cast a ballot in the 2024 BC provincial election. And yet, we are expected to believe that, of their own free-will, eighty-four percent of the residents at Argyll Lodge chose to cast a ballot?

That’s a voter turn-out 44 percent higher than the province-wide average!  Something smells fishy for me.

Considering that, and other issues raised yesterday, I believe there should indeed be a thorough investigation of the situation in Surrey-Guilford.  And that investigation should be independent of the province, and any provincial authority, including Elections BC.

At every level, we should have confidence that our electoral processes are fair, honest, and democratic – and that the individuals we elect truly represent the wishes of voters.

As one person stated to me, “Anyone who will cheat, or intentionally manipulate an election, does not have our best interests at heart.”

That is certainly something, no mater what our politics, we should all be able to agree on.

Agree or not, let’s hear from you.  Let me know in the “Comments” what you think.

Alan Forseth is a Kamloops resident. For 40 years he has been active, in a number of capacities, in local, provincial and federal politics, including running as a candidate for the BC Reform Party in the 1996 provincial election. He is a member of the BC Conservative Party and was the campaign manager for the party in the Kamloops-North Thompson riding in this year’s provincial election.