Wooldridge's planned Victoria move preceded another Kelowna election bid

Victoria was the destination Loyal Wooldridge named when he announced plans to step away from Kelowna city council in June. By September, he was seeking provincial office in the Okanagan again, according to Castanet's reporting at the time.

Wooldridge told Castanet he and his husband planned to relocate to support family. He was explaining his decision not to seek a third council term.

Pattison Media reported on Sept. 28 that he intended to continue living in Kelowna if elected as the BC NDP candidate for Kelowna Centre.

The published accounts leave a question unanswered: whether the relocation happened before that campaign commitment. This publication has not obtained current confirmation from Wooldridge or his campaign that he is residing in Kelowna. The campaign has not been contacted for this report.

For readers following the Victoria connection, there are two distinct issues: where a candidate lives and which constituency that candidate seeks to represent.

Elections BC says provincial candidates can run outside their home electoral district. They must meet eligibility requirements that include being a Canadian citizen, being at least 18 and having lived in B.C. for six months. Living elsewhere in the province does not, by itself, prevent a candidacy.

The official candidate list places Wooldridge in Kelowna Centre, alongside Conservative Kristina Loewen and OneBC's Bill Desrosiers. He is not listed as a candidate in either Victoria-Beacon Hill or Victoria-Swan Lake.

The Legislative Assembly also describes an MLA's work as extending beyond parliamentary proceedings. Members meet constituents, attend community events and work through constituency offices on questions involving provincial programs and services.

That work helps explain why a connection to the capital and a commitment to a constituency are separate parts of provincial representation. It does not establish Wooldridge's own living arrangements or future schedule.

Comments about his residence in a Kelowna Reddit thread included both criticism and defences of his family plans. The discussion does not verify where he lives or show what the wider community thinks.

Final Voting Day for the provincial election is Oct. 24.