Rocks, Rifts & Pistols
Former MLA Tom Shypitka on the benefit of small town rivalries, B.C.’s stunning political upheaval, and his late, great days of punk rock love.
By the numbers — Elected MLA for Kootenay East in 2017 then again in 2020, Shypitka was the BC United Caucus Chair and Shadow Minister until the party was dissolved in favour of the BC Conservatives. Opting to run as an Independent, Shypitka, as of Trench press time in early November, had earned 30.5 per cent of the votes in October’s provincial election. New MLA and BCC candidate Pete Davis captured 42.8 per cent. From there: 3rd, Sam Atwal (NDP); 4th, Kerri Wall (Green). In Columbia River Revelstoke: 1st, BC Conservative Scott McInnis won with 48.1 per cent; 2nd, Andrea Dunlop (NDP); 3rd, Calvin Beauchesne (Green).
A former bar owner and next-level curler, Cranbrook's Tom Shypitka never planned on being a politician. But the fourth-generation Kootenay resident and almost-Olympian ended up in the B.C. Legislature for eight years. Then, with an unprecedented party implosion and razor-close election this past October, his career ended. Pressured in the eleventh hour by the province's right-wing power brokers to fold in favour of the more extreme BC Conservatives, his BC United Party collapsed. Shypitka's re-election bid as an independent for the Kootenay Rockies riding fell short. A grandfather of two and father of three, the former BCU heavyweight spoke with The Trench shortly after the election.
Before you got into politics, you were a world class curler. Three-time provincial champ, played at the Brier twice, and came very close to making the Olympics. When was that, and how close is close? Back in 1991. At The Brier in Hamilton. We made the semi-finals. We played some young upstart named Kevin Martin. (Laughing) We were tied coming home. Our last draw was about an inch too far. Alberta won to qualify for the Olympics in Alberville, France.
How did Canada fare in the Games? They collapsed. Rumour had it Martin’s third was either drunk or hungover in the bronze medal game.
Wouldn’t be the first time a curler played hungover. I haven't been to a curling rink that didn’t have a bar.
You’ve represented a riding that has been full of town rivalries. Was it generally Cranbrook versus Kimberley, or did the Fernies and Inveremeres get dragged into things too? It was predominantly a Cranbrook and Kimberley rivalry, and I think it continues to this day. And I think that’s a good thing. That competitive spirit brings champions to the table. When I curled in Kimberley, I’d get no press at all. The team we’d beat from Kimberley would get all the accolades. There’s no shortage of cheap shots…
You ran a famous bar in Cranbrook in the ‘80s— I’d dare say that anyone between the ages of 42 and 72 would know Jugheads Nightclub. A rock and roll mecca. It was legendary.
You were eventually elected to Cranbrook City Council. What drew you to politics? It was never a goal really. I was president of my junior high student council and VP of my college association. But honestly, I was the last candidate to throw my name in for the 2014 Cranbrook election, because people said we needed more business owners on council. I ended up getting the most votes by a long shot.
Sounds like you got the Jugheads vote. (Laughing) I kinda campaigned on that. I thought for every person I’d ever bought a shooter for in the last 20 years, if they’d just give me their vote, we’d be even. It worked.
So, on to the BC United party collapse. How did you find about it? Yeah. Wow. So, I was the caucus chair for the party and deputy chair of the finance committee. I was on the senior level team. We were in a high-level meeting with the auditor general. Then these texts start coming in. I thought it was a joke. I had no idea what was going on. It was a total shocker.
You’ve said you didn’t leave the party, but that the party left you. What are your sentiments for former BC United leader Kevin Falcon and those on the right side of the B.C. political landscape who made the call? I felt shell shocked. Here was a leader I subscribed to — though I’d actually campaigned for a leader other than Kevin Falcon, along with two other MLAs, I’m a team guy once someone has won fair and square. Kevin held a meeting to explain himself. It didn’t go over that well. But, you have to walk a mile in another man’s shoes before you understand what they’re up against. I think he was under incredible pressure. But I don’t think what he did was right.
How do you feel about Falcon and the decision now? It’s water under the bridge. I’m just going to move forward and learn from the experience. I can still hold my head high and know that I stuck with the team and my colleagues, who were also thrown under the bus.
Read ‘em and sweep — Shypitka was a three-time provincial curling champion, representing B.C. at the Brier and narrowly missing a shot at the Olympics. Here he reacts to a close-but-not-close enough shot that appeared in the Toronto Star, in 1991. Tony Bock Photo
You’ve said that BCU MLAs who lost their seats can take care of themselves, but what are your thoughts about donors who supported your re-election bid and your staff? I feel I’ve let them down in an indirect way. When the relationship was severed by the decision to implode the party, trust was upended. I’ve reached out to many of the donors. I feel for them, and my staff. They’re now without jobs. They’ll get severance, but I don’t think it should come from the public purse, although that looks like how it’ll initially roll out. It should be on the BCU and the Conservative party. Kevin Falcon and the party should be held accountable for their decision.
You’ve probably got a lot of people to thank. Anyone in particular? My many assistants. And especially my mom and dad. My children. And my wife Carrie.
You’ve said that a minority government would have been a best-case scenario, especially if independents like yourself had won some seats. How so? It’s a case of the devil you know and the devil you don’t. The NDP have mismanaged the province, in my opinion. But then there’s the BC Conservatives. I think they did a poor job vetting their candidates. I’m not disparaging anyone in particular. But we’ve already seen the crazy notions some of them have come up with. Their platform is pretty shaky and not well costed out. It was thrown together. And that’s not good for anyone in British Columbia. A minority government would have held some balance, and forced a change in direction. It would have held the NDP more accountable.
Why didn’t you run for the Conservatives? Were you asked? I was asked to run in this riding. And I agreed. But three days later, they wanted me to campaign for the next riding over, Columbia River/Revelstoke. That’s when I said I wouldn’t abandon the people I’ve been working for the last eight years.
Is this the way politics has to happen nowadays, with campaigns, policies, and voters pushed as far to the left as they’ll go, and others pushed far to the right — That’s bang on. It’s a trend globally. It’s either hot or cold, a two-party system. And that’s not healthy. You’re leaving the common-sense middle ground out to dry. It’s a tug of war. That was the reason for my independent run. I’m really disappointed we couldn’t get a few elected. We need a counterbalance. I mean, what did we really accomplish with the BC Conservative run? We’ve got an opposition government — like we had before — we changed party leader names, but we’ve dumbed it down with unvetted MLAs, some of whom will be yanking on the extreme lines to the right. That’s only going to get the left to yank on extreme lines even harder. The centre will be hollowed out. And that’s dangerous.
You’re a singer and an avid karaoke fan. Tell us a bit about your summer campaign float performance in the Spirit of the Rockies parade. (Laughing) We wanted an eye-catching float with some well-seasoned local musicians, when I was still campaigning for BC United. So, we put a band together. My assistant suggested the song “United” by Judas Priest. We got our leathers and bandanas on ‘80s style, and got up there and rocked the song out about 15 times in a row.
You were a punk rock fan back in the day. You can see the punk mullet you wore in some of your older curling shots. Why punk? Oh man, I was a rebellious teenager for sure. Punk spoke to me. We’d just come out of the era of Deep Purple and Uriah Heep with 20-minute drum solos and bass solos. Deep Purple I think had a live album with only four songs — on a double album or something like that. Too much. Punk’s three-chord, one-and-a-half minute songs really appealed to me. I loved some of the Canadian bands — Teenage Head, DOA, Subhumans. I saw The Dead Kennedys play, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, I could go on…
Final question. What gives you hope, in these unprecedented times, that the good lives we live in the Kootenays can survive? Quite honestly, I think it’s about where we live. For all the griping and some of the issues this interview has exposed, we live in a great democracy, in the best country in the world — that I guarantee. And the people. We have the best diversity — culture, races, geography, all the volunteers who work without ever getting paid. Our diversity is what makes us strong. We just need to bundle that all together and make it work for us. ‘Divide and conquer’ is one of the oldest political strategies ever. We need to mitigate that.
~ Darren Davidson
Find this full-length story and more in The Trench’s Winter 2024/25 edition: