The BC Green Party blossomed this election, tripling the number of seats held and doubling the popular vote across the province to roughly 16 per cent.

The party was led by Andrew Weaver, a climate scientist who, with the balance of power falling into his hands, pointed out that it was 鈥渢he first ever Green-elected caucus in North America.鈥�

Local Green candidates weren鈥檛 among those making history , but when vote tallies were announced at the election night gathering at BNA pub, nobody was worse for wear. They hadn鈥檛 campaigned with the expectation they鈥檇 become MLAs. They鈥檇 put themselves in the community to build support for a Greener future.

Alison Shaw, Green candidate for 琉璃神社-Lake Country, took 4,416 of an estimated 23,003 votes cast, which was a handful fewer votes than her NDP competitor.

Rainer Wilkins, Green candidate for 琉璃神社 Mission, had 3,422 of an estimated 24,264 votes. Robert Mellalieu, the Green candidate for 琉璃神社 West had 3,290 of 24,429 votes cast for him.

鈥淲e boosted the voter shift for Greens by three times from our vote in the last election so I am pretty thrilled about that,鈥� said Shaw, a Lake Country resident.

Shaw said she was heartened further by how her party ran a 鈥渓ean mean鈥� campaign in keeping with Green policy not to accept corporate or union donations.

A political scientist who taught at UBC Okanagan and now writes about politics in the Saanich News said that it鈥檚 unlikely that either the NDP or Greens will make much of an impact in the near future in the Central Okanagan.

鈥淚f there鈥檚 one part of the province where BC Liberals can count on steady, unwavering support it鈥檚 the Okanagan 鈥攊t鈥檚 the conservative heartland,鈥� said Wolf Depner.

鈥淒emography is destiny. Once the demographics of the Okanagan change you can see changes in electoral behaviour as well.鈥�

For all the Okanagan鈥檚 many changes in industry, it鈥檚 still a very Anglo Saxon part of western Canada, with strong British, German and Dutch roots.

鈥淭hese people are conservative in terms of their values,鈥� he said.

As was made clear with the 2015 census results, it鈥檚 also an area with a high proportion of seniors鈥攊t鈥檚 the oldest census metropolitan area in B.C. and the third oldest in Canada.

And seniors, said Depner, also tend to vote conservative.

Most telling about its right leaning tendencies, however, may be the region鈥檚 economic roots.

The Central Okanagan, has never been a stronghold for unions. The driving force of its economy has historically been small to medium size businesses, and their allegiance is to parties that value less taxation and social spending.

鈥淭hink of Wacky Bennett and Bill Bennett,鈥� he said.

鈥淭hese are prototypical small business westerners and they鈥檙e from the Okanagan.鈥�

W.A.C. Bennett, a hardware merchant from 琉璃神社, was B.C.鈥檚 premier for 20 years, earning votes by paving roads and building bridges. His son, Bill, followed his lead and became premier in 1979. He passed a series of laws, known as the 鈥渞estraint鈥� program, aimed at unburdening businesses from government spending on social services.

Not that much has changed since then.

鈥淭he people who voted for the SoCreds in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s 鈥� their mindset and economic background is the same as those voting for BC Liberals today,鈥� he said.

鈥淭hese are non union, small business people, who tend to care more about low taxes and limited government interference.鈥�

The Okanagan is also home to a lot of people who make a living in the oil and gas industry, and any party that offers a green perspective won鈥檛 win them over.

Although the left leaning political parties have a small footprint in the Okanagan, other parties in B.C. show that may not always be the case.

鈥淚f you look at Victoria 鈥� at one point of time it was as Conservative and WASPy as parts of the Okanagan, but that鈥檚 not the case today,鈥� he said. 鈥淧eople鈥檚 politics are vastly different than that of their parents and grandparents.鈥�