Photo: Contributed A former Dragon has backed Colin Bashran’s bid for re-election as Kelowna mayor. W. Brett Wilson, a businessman and philanthropist known for his three-year stint on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, has endorsed the current mayor’s re-election. Wilson owns an apartment in Kelowna as well as Global Fitness and is behind the PraireWest Center development in West Kelowna. Wilson, a man who has always been politically active in conservative circles, attended Basran’s re-election at Red Bird Brewing on Thursday. “I’ve known Colin for many years and wanted to show my support for his campaign both personally and politically,” says Wilson. While it may seem odd that a staunchly conservative Calgary businessman is backing Basran’s bid for re-election — former Liberal MP Stephen Furr is also a public supporter of Basran and attended his launch — Wilson said “these days it’s easier for me to do business in Kelowna and West Kelowna than I do in Calgary.” He spends at least one day a month in Kelowna and his interest in politics combined with his business activities in the Okanagan means he keeps a close eye on political issues. “I think Colin did a good job. I didn’t have a problem with Kelowna council. You talk about left and right politics, but I’d say Calgary leans more left than Kelowna these days,” Wilson said. Wilson tells Castanet, in addition to his current known business interests, he also has 70 acres in the agricultural land reserve in the Kelowna area, “I might decide to do something with it, I might sell it and give it back to the city. “ Surveying the federal political landscape, Wilson said Pierre Poilievre’s recent victory as leader of the federal Conservative party is good news for Canada. “I think Poilievre is exactly what the country needs right now.”
This is good news for Canada. pic.twitter.com/NNNchssjkn — * W. Brett Wilson * (@WBrettWilson) September 11, 2022
