Vancouver entrepreneur Yuri Fulmer is running for the leadership of the BC Conservative Party.
Fulmer launched his campaign last week, starting in Cranbrook before stopping in Fort St. John on Monday to meet with residents of northeast BC.
“I wanted to come up and meet British Columbians where they live and work, and find out what the issues are in these communities,” Fulmer said.
He says he’s visiting the Peace Region early in his tour because of the key role it plays in the province.
“I want to remind British Columbians that the economic engine of our province is outside the Lower Mainland,” Fulmer explained.
Fulmer says his campaign is focused on affordability, safer streets, and improved health care – issues he says also affect the Peace Region.
However, Fulmer says achieving that will require unifying the BC Conservatives’ caucus.
“As a Conservative party, we need to tell British Columbians what we stand for,” Fulmer said. “We need to make sure that the four or five issues we’re really focused on are the things British Columbians are asking us to fight for.”
Dan Davies, a former MLA who is considering joining the BC conservatives after losing his seat in 2024, says he’s impressed with Fulmer’s ideas.
“The only way that I see the defeat of the NDP is by uniting the right,” Davies said.
He adds that he’s interested in running for the BC Conservatives in Peace River North in the near future.
“They’ve reached out to me on a few different occasions to see if I’d be interested in running, and I certainly am,” the former MLA said.
However, Davies says it’s tough to plan for the future with so much political uncertainty in recent years.
Some of the uncertainty has eased after former leader John Rustad stepped down in December.
Prince George–North Cariboo MLA Sheldon Clare and Rossland businessman Warren Hamm are also seeking the party’s leadership.
The party expects to choose a new leader later this year.