Forrest Demman is a local business owner and electrician, husband, father, church elder, and community volunteer. He and his family have called Wynndel home since 2021, where they are putting down roots and raising their family.

Forrest also has family connections to the Kootenays that predate his own move to the area. He is of Métis ancestry, with family history extending across western Canada, and both his great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather lived in the Kootenays during the early and mid-20th century. Settling in the Creston Valley has therefore been both a new chapter for his family and a return to a region with longstanding family connections.

Working in Area A

Forrest owns and operates Big Tree Electrical, an electrical contracting business serving the Creston Valley and surrounding communities. His work regularly takes him throughout Electoral Area A, including the East Shore of Kootenay Lake.

Running a small business and working in the trades have shaped the way Forrest approaches problems. He is accustomed to working within regulations and budgets, finding practical solutions, taking responsibility for decisions, and dealing directly with the people affected by his work.

His work has also given him the opportunity to meet residents throughout Area A and to see firsthand some of the challenges involved in building, maintaining property, operating businesses, and making a life in a rural community.

Community Involvement

Since moving to the Creston Valley, Forrest has looked for opportunities to contribute to the community and better understand the issues affecting it.

He has served as president of the Kootenay Lake Chamber of Commerce, represented Area A on the Economic Action Partnership advisory body, and more recently served as the Wynndel representative on the Economic Development Commission. He is also active in his church, where he serves as an elder.

These roles have given Forrest experience working with people who do not always see an issue the same way. They have also given him a growing understanding of local economic development, community organizations, and the relationship between residents, businesses and local government.

Why I'm Running

Forrest's interest in the RDCK became much more personal after a fire destroyed his family's home in 2024. Rebuilding meant navigating development and building requirements firsthand while trying to get his family back into their home.

That experience led him to start paying much closer attention to how local government decisions affect ordinary residents. It also raised broader questions for him about how the RDCK sets priorities, delivers services, regulates development, spends public money, and balances regional objectives with the needs of individual communities.

His subsequent involvement in community and economic-development organizations reinforced that interest and ultimately led him to put his name forward for Director of Electoral Area A.

Forrest is running because he believes local government should be practical, accountable and focused on the services residents rely on. He wants Area A residents to have a Director who will listen to them, do the necessary homework, ask questions when something does not make sense, and make decisions based on what will best serve the communities he represents.

He also recognizes that Area A is not one community. Wynndel, the rural Creston Valley, and the communities along the East Shore have different circumstances and priorities. Representing Area A means making the effort to understand those differences and ensuring that residents throughout the area have a meaningful opportunity to be heard.

A Family Decision

Running for local office is not something Forrest decided to do alone. He and his wife are raising their family here, operating a business here, and intend to make the Creston Valley their long-term home.

Forrest is running because he wants to contribute to the future of the place his family has chosen to call home—and because he believes his experience as a tradesperson, business owner and community volunteer can bring a useful perspective to the RDCK Board.