Donegal Wilson was elected to represent Boundary-Similkameen in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 2024.
Born in Summerland and raised on a cattle ranch in the Otter Valley near Tulameen, Donegal’s roots in the riding run deep. She graduated from Princeton Secondary School before moving to northern British Columbia, where she spent 12 years in the Smithers area. She later returned home to the South Okanagan-Similkameen and now lives in Keremeos with her husband, James. Together, they own Direct Performance, a small engine business.
Before entering provincial politics, Donegal spent more than a decade as Executive Director of the BC Snowmobile Federation. That work took her across British Columbia and gave her extensive experience working with rural communities, volunteers, businesses, industry and all levels of government. It also gave her a strong understanding of land access, responsible resource management and the importance of a strong rural economy.
After being elected, Donegal served as the Official Opposition Critic for Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship and Wildlife. In that role, she worked on issues affecting communities and industries across British Columbia, including water security, land management, wildlife, access to the backcountry and the policies affecting agriculture and resource-dependent communities.
Donegal has also focused much of her work on the issues she hears about directly from the communities she represents, including access to rural health care, safe and affordable drinking water, forestry and resource-sector jobs, agriculture, infrastructure and wildfire preparedness.
Her legislative work has included serving as a member and Deputy Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, where she has heard directly from British Columbians about the financial and economic challenges facing families, businesses and communities across the province.
Donegal believes government should live within its means, respect taxpayers, support free enterprise and create the conditions for a strong private-sector economy. She supports responsible development of British Columbia’s natural resources and believes decisions affecting rural communities should reflect the knowledge and experience of the people who live and work there.
For Donegal, public service is about listening, doing the work and bringing the concerns of Boundary-Similkameen to Victoria. She remains focused on practical solutions that strengthen rural communities and ensure they have a strong voice in the decisions that affect their future.