kelownaelections.ca

Andrew Mark Uitvlugt

Ran for Mayor

Background

Andrew Mark Uitvlugt is a self-described self-employed inventor and digital creator who has been based in Kelowna for more than two decades. He is known by the names "Andy," "AMU," and "Au79." His Facebook page describes him as a "symantist" (one who studies the meanings of words) and labels him "Digital creator · Global Paradigm Shift," with education listed at Okanagan College — Kelowna Campus and Okanagan Mission (OKM). His LinkedIn headline is "Inventor at Self-Employed," where he has posted about a high-speed maglev-train concept.

Uitvlugt has run for Kelowna municipal office several times without success. In a 2009 council by-election he received 30 votes; in the 2011 council election he placed last in a 40-candidate field with 227 votes; and in 2014 he ran for mayor during the race to succeed retiring mayor Walter Gray. A 2005 blog also referenced him as a Kelowna mayoral candidate.

2026 Campaign

Uitvlugt filed his nomination papers on the afternoon of September 11, 2026 — the deadline day — as the third and final mayoral candidate, joining incumbent Tom Dyas and Coun. Ron Cannan.

As of late September 2026, no campaign website or policy platform had been identified. On October 9, 2026, Capital News published a video interview with Uitvlugt, taken alongside all three mayoral candidates; its written summary reports he discussed social disorder, homelessness, unemployment, and city spending in relation to community versus tourism and growth, though his exact remarks in the video have not been independently transcribed. The Kelowna Chamber of Commerce mayoral forum lists him among the three participants and notes he "has not yet released a formal platform"; his VoteMate profile is likewise empty. No campaign financial agent has been publicly disclosed. His public presence consists of personal Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn profiles.

Notable Items

Past policy proposal (2005)

In his 2005 Kelowna mayoral campaign, Uitvlugt proposed offering crack cocaine to homeless people as a reward for doing city work such as picking up litter — a proposal the Kelowna Daily Courier later summarized as him having "proposed giving crack cocaine to homeless people as a way to encourage them to pick up litter."

Questionnaire responses

Did not respond to the Kelowna Elections questionnaire (deadline October 2, 2026).

Registered campaign links

From the official candidate registration record; presence here is not an endorsement.

Financial agent: Self

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