Former Kamloops mayor and Kamloops Centre MLA Peter Milobar has entered the leadership race for the Conservative Party of British Columbia.

Milobar told the Chronicle he wants the party to focus on serious issues like health care, crime and safety, affordability, and education.

As part of the rules for the contest, candidates must agree not to disparage one another and pledge their support to whoever wins the race.

Milobar said he has every intention to keep things civil throughout the race.

“My intention is to make sure party members understand what I stand for and the direction I want to take things in,” he said.

“Hopefully others will do the same.”

Candidates must also pay $110,000 in fees to the party — which Milobar is not too concerned about.

“As a leader, one of your jobs is to ensure you are able to fundraise to the broader public, so that goes part and parcel with trying to raise the money for a fee as well. Leadership races are a drain on resources, so the party has to make up the difference somehow,” he said.

As of Chronicle press time on Feb. 4, seven other candidates had put forward their names, including former BC Liberal Iain Black, businessman Yuri Fulmer, Prince George-North Cariboo MLA Sheldon Clare, former BC United and BC Liberal staffer Caroline Elliott, former Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, businessman Warren Hamm, former Save-On-Foods president Darrel Jones, and Richmond-Queensborough MLA Steve Kooner

The latest iteration of the party began after John Rustad was removed from the BC Liberals in 2022 and later won the BC Conservative leadership in 2023. Rustad oversaw a party rife with internal disputes, including the resignation or removal of five MLAs, with himself resigning in December 2025, prompting the race.

“I think what you’re watching unfold is a party that is still relatively new in terms of its membership and its MLAs,” Milobar said.

Now, Milobar said the party is “well on its way” to stabilizing, with the leadership race being an important mechanism in doing so.

“You grow that membership number so you still have a wide diversity of opinions and views, but there’s more of them. And that seems to be stabilizing,” he said.

Asked how he might balance addressing issues locally here in Kamloops with his potential leadership duties, Milobar said there’s a lot of overlap in the issues he plans on addressing. “I’m still the same person and I know what I’ve been fighting for for Kamloops over the years, with healthcare front-and-centre,” he said, also mentioning crime and safety issues and affordability.

The party’s new leader will be announced at the leadership convention on May 30 and the deadline for members to vote is April 18.