Peter Milobar

Early Life and Career Before Politics

Peter Milobar was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on February 13, 1970, and was raised in Kamloops, British Columbia. He lives in Kamloops with his wife Lianne and their three children where they operate a small business together. Lianne is Indigenous. Before entering public office, Milobar managed his family's Days Inn Hotel in Kamloops. His professional experience included roles with the BC Transit Board of Directors, PRIMECorp, and the Local Government Contract Management Committee. His involvement with these organizations provided him with a broad understanding of regional governance, public transit, and infrastructure project management. This background in both private business and public administration formed the foundation for his later political career.

Municipal Political Career in Kamloops

Peter Milobar's political career began at the municipal level. He first ran for Kamloops City Council at the age of 32, successfully winning a seat in the 2002 municipal election with 7,130 votes. His campaign platform emphasized securing Royal Inland Hospital's status as a regional referral centre, attracting medical professionals, and expanding the local tax base through development. He was re-elected as a city councillor in the 2005 municipal election, serving two full terms on council from 2002 to 2008. On July 30, 2008, Milobar announced his candidacy for mayor, running on a platform titled "A Balanced Approach." His key goals included fulfilling tournament capital commitments, upgrading the sewage treatment plant, completing the Kamloops Sustainability Plan, working with agricultural groups on a new expo space, developing affordable housing, and enhancing public safety collaboration between the RCMP and bylaw staff. He also pledged to work with BC Transit for continued sustainable transit expansion.

On November 15, 2008, he was elected as the 39th mayor of Kamloops, receiving 3,147 ballots, which represented 74.13 percent of the total vote. Milobar served three consecutive terms as mayor from 2008 to 2017, becoming the longest-serving mayor in the city's history. During his tenure, he also held significant regional leadership roles, chairing the Thompson-Nicola Regional District from 2006 to 2011, making him the first Kamloops mayor elected to that position, and serving as chair of the Thompson Regional Hospital District from 2011 until 2017. His municipal achievements included advancing the expansion of Royal Inland Hospital, a project he continued to advocate for at the provincial level.

Provincial Politics with BC Liberal and BC United

Milobar was elected in the 2017 provincial election as a member of the BC Liberal caucus, representing the electoral district of Kamloops-North Thompson. He was re-elected in the 2020 provincial election, winning by less than 200 votes. During this time, he served as the official opposition critic for Environment and Climate Change, and Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. He was also the opposition House Leader until 2022, when incoming Liberal leader Kevin Falcon named him the official opposition critic for Finance. This period established his profile in the legislature as a member focused on both environmental policy and the complex files of Indigenous relations, while later developing expertise in economic and financial critique. The BC Liberal Party was renamed BC United in 2023, under which banner Milobar served until his departure in 2024.

Transition to the Conservative Party of British Columbia

In a significant political shift ahead of the 2024 provincial election, Peter Milobar left BC United and joined the Conservative Party of British Columbia in September 2024. He ran in the newly established riding of Kamloops Centre and was re-elected as an MLA in the October 2024 election, defeating New Democratic Party candidate Kamal Grewal by about 2,000 votes. Following the election, he was appointed to the official opposition's shadow cabinet in November 2024 as the critic for Finance. In February 2025, he delivered deeply personal remarks in the legislature pushing back against what he regarded as residential school denialism emerging within his own party caucus, after Dallas Brodie tweeted controversial statements. He emphasized his family connections, noting his wife and children are Indigenous and his son-in-law is a member of the Tk’emlúps band. He reaffirmed his commitment to pushing back against denialism, recognizing his comments would not be welcome in all spaces including his own party.

Milobar announced his campaign to replace John Rustad as leader of the Conservative Party on January 16, 2026. The leadership contest concluded on May 30, 2026, with Milobar being eliminated after the first ballot, having finished last with 10.5 percent of the vote. Following Kerry-Lynne Findlay's victory in the leadership race, tensions persisted. Milobar had been appointed as her finance critic in her shadow cabinet weeks prior, but he publicly criticized her after she suggested he had a conflict of interest on reconciliation issues due to his wife's Indigenous heritage, calling the attacks "the worst side of politics possible". He suggested her victory would give a lot of British Columbians pause for thought about whether they would vote for a party led in that manner.

Brief Independence and Party Formation

Citing a misalignment of values with the new party leader, Peter Milobar announced his departure from the BC Conservative caucus on August 14, 2026, choosing to sit as an independent MLA. He stated his loss of confidence in the leadership of Kerry-Lynne Findlay as the primary reason for his exit. On August 24, fellow Conservative MLA Ian Paton also left the caucus and announced that he and Milobar would be founding a new party with Milobar as interim leader. In September 2026, former Conservative MLAs Bruce Banman, Áʼa꞉líya Warbus, and Rosalyn Bird announced they would join Paton and Milobar in forming this new group. The party was officially registered with Elections BC on September 22, 2026, as the "British Columbia Party," with Milobar listed as its leader. Although Milobar later joined CentreBC and rejoined the Conservatives, the British Columbia Party remains registered with Milobar listed as the leader.

On September 18, 2026, Milobar announced he was taking over as leader of CentreBC, a centrist party founded in 2025 and previously led by former MLA Mike Bernier. Seven MLAs joined Milobar's CentreBC caucus. However, this arrangement lasted only four days. After Premier David Eby called a snap election for October 24, 2026, Milobar and six other MLAs left CentreBC on September 22 and rejoined the BC Conservative caucus. CentreBC leadership expressed disappointment, stating the plans were not discussed with the party's executive council and that Milobar did not stand by his commitments. Elenore Sturko, who had been ejected from the Conservative caucus the previous year, subsequently assumed the leadership of CentreBC.

Policy Positions and Electoral Platform

Throughout his campaigns, Peter Milobar has consistently focused on issues directly affecting his Kamloops constituency and provincial affordability. A central pillar of his 2024 and 2026 platforms was a significant tax change aimed at addressing the cost of living. He advocated for increasing the basic personal exemption for provincial income tax from approximately $13,000 to $32,000. This change would apply to all forms of income, including wages and pensions. According to his platform, it would save an individual about $1,000 per year, or $2,000 per household, with the savings distributed across each paycheque. The goal is to provide immediate, ongoing financial relief for expenses like groceries, heating bills, and fuel for pensioners, minimum wage workers, and middle-income earners.

Healthcare infrastructure and access have been longstanding priorities for Milobar, tracing back to his municipal advocacy for Royal Inland Hospital. His provincial platform included specific proposals to address doctor shortages and prevent emergency room closures. He pledged to expedite the process for repatriating medical students and professionals who trained in British Columbia but were working in other jurisdictions, aiming to reduce artificial barriers to their return while keeping patient safety paramount. To counter temporary emergency room closures often caused by staffing shortages, he proposed a new fund to cover extra nursing or doctor shifts to maintain operations, thereby reducing pressure on larger regional hospitals like Royal Inland. He noted that when smaller centres like Clearwater, 100 Mile House, or Merritt close their ERs, it directly increases the burden on Kamloops's main hospital.

Milobar's platform highlights unfulfilled local projects he vows to continue advocating for, including the rebuilding of the Red Bridge, securing a PET/CT scanner for Kamloops, and establishing a catheterization lab at Royal Inland Hospital. He also advocates for increasing capital investment for local schools. His approach combines advocacy for these major capital projects with a commitment to constituent-level service work in the MLA office. He points to the completion of the Royal Inland Hospital expansion and the advocacy for a Cancer Centre as examples of successful projects that started during his mayoralty and were finished during his time as MLA.

Electoral History and Political Affiliations Timeline

Peter Milobar has contested multiple elections at both the municipal and provincial levels, demonstrating consistent electoral support in the Kamloops region. He was first elected to Kamloops City Council in 2002 at age 32 and was re-elected in 2005. Milobar was then elected as the 39th mayor of Kamloops in 2008, serving three consecutive terms until 2017. In provincial politics, he was elected as a BC Liberal MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson in 2017 and re-elected in 2020 by less than 200 votes. In 2024, he was re-elected as a Conservative Party MLA, this time for the new riding of Kamloops Centre, defeating his opponent by about 2,000 votes. His path through different political parties is a defining feature of his career.

• 2017 to 2024: Elected and served as a BC Liberal MLA. The party rebranded as BC United in 2023.
• September 2024: Crossed the floor to the Conservative Party of British Columbia.
• August 14, 2026: Resigned from the Conservative caucus to sit as an independent.
• August 24, 2026: Announced formation of a new party with Ian Paton, with Milobar as interim leader.
• September 2026: Bruce Banman, Áʼa꞉líya Warbus, and Rosalyn Bird joined the new party effort.
• September 22, 2026: British Columbia Party officially registered with Elections BC with Milobar listed as leader.
• September 18, 2026: Assumed leadership of the CentreBC party, with seven MLAs joining his caucus.
• September 22, 2026: Rejoined the BC Conservative caucus along with six other MLAs after the snap election was called.

Personal Advocacy and Stance on Reconciliation

Peter Milobar's personal life has directly informed his public stance on issues of Indigenous reconciliation, leading to moments of significant political courage. His wife, Lianne, is Indigenous, and his children and son-in-law, a Tk’emlúps band member, are part of Indigenous communities. This family connection has made advocacy on related issues both personal and politically salient for him. In February 2025, he used his platform in the legislature to deliver a forceful rebuttal against sentiments of residential school denialism that he perceived within his own Conservative party caucus, after Dallas Brodie tweeted controversial statements. He stated he felt compelled to push back publicly, acknowledging his comments would not be welcome in all spaces, including within his own party, but that recognizing and speaking against denialism was essential. He did concede that it was difficult for the Conservative caucus to handle this divisive topic, but when confronted with it in his own party he pushed back and did not remain silent.

This advocacy also became a point of conflict during the 2026 Conservative leadership race. After Kerry-Lynne Findlay suggested his family connections created a conflict of interest on reconciliation files, Milobar characterized her remarks as a personal attack representing the worst of politics. He argued that such commentary would give voters reason to question whether to support a party led in that manner. This exchange highlighted how his personal identity and family became intertwined with his political positioning, ultimately contributing to his brief departure from the party later that year. His actions demonstrate a consistent pattern of prioritizing this personal commitment over strict party unity when the two came into conflict, a stance that has defined key moments of his tenure in the legislature.

Questions about Peter Milobar

What political parties has Peter Milobar been affiliated with?

Peter Milobar was first elected as a BC Liberal, later renamed BC United, MLA in 2017. He then crossed the floor to join the Conservative Party of British Columbia in September 2024. In August 2026, he left the Conservatives to sit as an independent and formed a new party which was registered as the British Columbia Party. He also briefly became the leader of CentreBC for four days in September 2026 before rejoining the BC Conservative caucus ahead of the snap election called that October.

How has Peter Milobar addressed healthcare issues in his platform?

Milobar's healthcare platform focuses on addressing doctor shortages and preventing emergency room closures. He pledges to expedite the repatriation of medical professionals who trained in BC but practice elsewhere, aiming to reduce barriers to their return. To counter temporary ER closures, he proposes a dedicated fund to cover extra staffing shifts for nurses and doctors. He also continues to advocate for specific capital projects at Royal Inland Hospital, such as a catheterization lab and a PET/CT scanner, and notes that ER closures in smaller centres like Clearwater increase pressure on Kamloops's hospital.

What riding does Peter Milobar currently represent?

Peter Milobar currently represents the electoral district of Kamloops Centre as its Member of the Legislative Assembly. He was first elected to this riding in the October 2024 provincial election, where he defeated New Democratic Party candidate Kamal Grewal by about 2,000 votes. Before the 2024 election, he served as the MLA for the neighboring riding of Kamloops-North Thompson from 2017 to 2024. His initial election to the legislature was as a member of the BC Liberal Party.

What is Peter Milobar's main policy to address affordability?

Peter Milobar's main affordability policy is to increase the basic personal exemption for provincial income tax from about $13,000 to $32,000. This policy would apply to all forms of income, including wages and pensions. According to his platform, this change would save an individual approximately $1,000 per year, or $2,000 per household. The savings would be distributed across each paycheque to provide immediate relief for expenses like groceries and fuel.

Why did Peter Milobar briefly leave the BC Conservative Party in 2026?

Peter Milobar left the BC Conservative caucus on August 14, 2026, stating his values did not align with the new party leader, Kerry-Lynne Findlay. The conflict arose after Findlay suggested during the leadership campaign that Milobar had a conflict of interest on reconciliation because his wife is Indigenous, a comment he strongly criticized. Following his departure, he and Ian Paton founded a new party later registered as the British Columbia Party, which was also joined by other Conservative defectors. He briefly led the CentreBC party for four days in September 2026 before ultimately rejoining the Conservatives.

Sources and further reading

• Peter Milobar (Wikipedia)
• Kamloops MLA candidate profile for Peter Milobar (castanet.net)
• Peter Milobar (conservativebc.ca)
• Kamloops Centre MLA Milobar rejoins BC Conservatives (cfjctoday.com)

Checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-10-21.