Tom Dyas | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Kelowna, British Columbia | |
| Assumed office November 7, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Colin Basran |
| Personal details | |
| Children | 3 [1] |
| Occupation | Chef,businessman |
Thomas J. Dyas [2] is a Canadian politician. He has served as the mayor of Kelowna,British Columbia since 2022.
Dyas' parents were Thomas "Harry" Dyas,an immigrant from Blackheath,England [3] and Hilda Ann Holtforster,who was born in Trout Creek,Ontario. [4] His parents lived in Oshawa,Ontario. [5] [6]
Dyas moved to British Columbia in 1986 to become a sous chef,becoming executive chef of Delta Hotels while living in Whistler. In 1987,he created an insurance and financial company called TD Benefits. [7] He would later become the president of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce,serving for two terms until 2018. [8] During this time,he led Kelowna's bid to host the 2020 Memorial Cup [9] (which was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Dyas first ran for mayor of Kelowna in 2018,citing the need for "leadership... at city hall",and ran on a plan on financial accountability,citizen safety,transportation and infrastructure,water management and sustainable managed growth. [10] He ran against the incumbent mayor,Colin Basran,who had previously been a close friend of Dyas'. [11] His platform was described as returning the region to its "conservative roots" as "a no-nonsense,tax cutting,small businessman",compared to Basran who had the backing from the "progressive tech industry". [12] Basran easily defeated Dyas in the election by nearly 9,000 votes.
A year after Kelowna was declared to have the highest crime rate in the country, [13] Dyas ran for mayor again in 2022,in a re-match against Basran,stating "a lot of concerns people have in the community have gotten worse". [14] In the election,Dyas defeated Basran by over 10,000 votes. He cited,crime,housing,and traffic as major issues in the election. [15] The 2022 municipal elections saw a wave of centre-right mayors come to office as a response to rising crime and homelessness in the province. [16] Dyas' campaign was managed by Adam Wilson who has "strong ties to the Conservative Party". [17]
While serving as mayor,the Kelowna area was severely hit by the McDougall Creek Fire. [18] Also during his term as mayor,he has called for municipal parks to be exempted from the province's plans on drug decriminalization,due to a concern it "may create an influx of drug users from other provinces to parks in Kelowna during the summer". [19]