Donegal Wilson

Donegal Wilson is a Canadian politician who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in the 2024 British Columbia general election. She represents the electoral district of Boundary-Similkameen as a member of the Conservative Party of British Columbia.^[1]

Donegal Wilson MLA
Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for Boundary-Similkameen
Incumbent
Assumed office October 19, 2024
Preceded by	Roly Russell
Personal details
Political party	BC Conservatives

Early life and career

Wilson was born in Summerland, British Columbia, and raised on a cattle ranch in the Otter Valley near Tulameen.^[2] She attended Princeton Secondary School before attending community college in Northwest BC, beginning a career in administration shortly after.^[2]

Her career in administration began with small businesses and non-profit organizations.^[3] Before founding Direct Performance with her husband, she worked for Central Mountain Air.^[3] In 2012, Wilson became the executive director of the B.C. Snowmobile Federation, leading efforts to strengthen organized snowmobiling by collaborating with government, industry, and community organizations.^[2][4][5][6] During her time with the federation she sat on ministerial committees, helped develop the Off-Road Vehicle Act, and worked with government as a stakeholder for 12 years.^[7] Her community service experience includes being a long-time advocate for outdoor recreation. She lived in Smithers for 15 years before moving back to the Similkameen Valley.^[7] Wilson currently lives with her husband in Keremeos. Together, they operate a small engine business.^[2]

Political career

In August 2024, Wilson was announced as the BC Conservatives candidate for the riding of Boundary-Similkameen in the 2024 provincial election.^[6] When the election was held, Wilson defeated BC NDP incumbent Roly Russell, who had been the MLA for the riding since 2020, as well as Green candidate Kevin Eastwood and Independent Sean Taylor.^[8] She currently serves in the official opposition's shadow cabinet as the Critic for Water, Land, Resource Stewardship and Wildlife Management.^[3]

Electoral record

v t e 2024 British Columbia general election: Boundary-Similkameen
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%	Expenditures
	Conservative	Donegal Wilson	11,935	48.39	+37.21	$33,102.59
	New Democratic	Roly Russell	10,497	42.56	−7.29	$60,076.63
	Green	Kevin Eastwood	1,454	5.89	–	$574.99
	Independent	Sean Taylor	779	3.16	–	$1,380.30
Total valid votes/expense limit			24,665	99.85	–	$71,700.08
Total rejected ballots			36	0.15	–
Turnout			24,701	62.74	+5.90
Registered voters			39,371
	Conservative gain from New Democratic		Swing		+22.25
Source: Elections BC[9][10]