Thomas J. Dyas[2] is a Canadian politician. He has served as the mayor of Kelowna, British Columbia since 2022.
Tom Dyas | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Kelowna, British Columbia | |
| Assumed office November 7, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Colin Basran |
| Personal details | |
| Children | 3[1] |
| Occupation | Chef, businessman |
Early life
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).
Political career
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]