A Penticton kid,
through and through.

Raised here. Staying here. Answering to here.

I grew up in Penticton and I've never wanted to be anywhere else. I've spent my life watching the South Okanagan grow — the vineyards spreading across the Naramata Bench, Skaha Lake always blue in summer, the community tight-knit and proud.

I'm an apprentice electrician building my career right here in Penticton. I've got a girlfriend I love, plans for a family, and a deep commitment to making this community everything it can be for the next generation.

In the spring 2025 by-election, I put my name forward for the first time — at 23, the youngest candidate in the race. I finished fourth out of seven, earning 262 votes and proving there's real appetite in Penticton for a new voice on council. The Penticton Herald called it "a respectable fourth place." More importantly, knocking on hundreds of doors and hearing directly from residents shaped the platform I'm running on today.

As I told Castanet during that campaign:

"I hope to be back and plan on running again in 2026. I love the process and I love going around and speaking to people about local issues. It's super exciting to knock on doors and talk to people about politics and what matters to them. I will be running for sure in 2026."

— Riley Thompson, to Castanet · 2025

I kept that promise — and I didn't just wait for the next election to get back to work. I currently serve as a voting member of the City of Penticton's Public Safety Advisory Committee, helping shape recommendations to council on community safety and the Community Safety and Well-being Plan. It's hands-on experience with how the city actually makes decisions — the committees, the staff reports, the trade-offs — and it's exactly the kind of practical, evidence-based problem-solving I want to bring to the council table. I show up between elections, not just during them.

I kept that promise. This time I'm running for a full term — with more experience, a sharper platform, and the same commitment to Penticton that's been there from day one. I'm running independent — not part of the Conservative slate, not part of the progressive slate — and I won't be the only independent on your ballot. Good. The more councillors who answer directly to voters, the better. What I'll put up against anyone in this race is the work: eight issues, a real plan for each, and the experience to know what it takes. I'm not running to warm a seat — I'm running to build what's next for Penticton. Just Penticton.

Rooted in Okanagan values.