Hi,

I’m Jay Simpson and have lived in Lee Creek for 22 years. My Grandpa bought land here in 1948 and moved out here in 1956. So as a kid we came from Calgary every long weekend and summer vacation since I was born. So really, I’ve been at the lake, and have loved being at the lake for over 50 years.

As a teenager we lived in Singapore for two years and that experience was awesome. I learned to appreciate different cultures, people and food. I went on to college in Calgary and trained as a Systems Analyst and computer programmer. My first few career years were in software development and support before I was hired by a tour company to write them a Tour Management program. I then started to sell group tours for them, along with supporting the software I’d developed. This was spectacular as I was then able to travel to lots of great destinations and explore new cities, cultures and food! But I always came back to the lake.

When I lived in Calgary, I still came to the North Shu as much as possible and it was always my goal to live ‘at the lake’. Fortunately, software development is pretty much location independent and I first moved to Lee Creek in 1994 with two goals. Start a business building websites, and help out my aging grandparents. I also partnered up with a local gal and started a vacation rental business, which my wife Angela and I still run today.

In 1998 the tour company asked that I come back and sell a very big program that they had coming up in 2000. The offer was great and I ended up back in Calgary for 6 years and returned to Lee Creek in 2004. And here I stay.

I’ve always been involved in volunteer groups. Back in college I was VP of the Computer Science Society. Out here in the 90’s I was chair of the North Shuswap Chamber of Commerce for a couple of years. When I returned in 2004 I joined the Chase Rotary Club (my dad was a big Rotarian). In 2009 I was the founding president of the Shuswap Waterfront Owners Association, and I’ve been a member of the North Shuswap Chamber for many years. In 2012 I joined the board of the NS Health Centre Society and I was Chair, Vice-chair or co-Chair of that group for 6 years. In 2018 I ran for CSRD Director for the North Shuswap and won the election. You know what I’ve been doing since then!

My current life, and lifestyle, is a blend of all of the best of the North Shuswap. I have a family here with a daughter that went to the North Shuswap Elementary School in Celista – now Salmon Arm Secondary, we run a small farm with sheep, goats and chickens, we own waterfront property, I’m in a tourist business and I’ve been active in community groups for many years. My background as a programmer/systems analyst gives me logic and problem solving abilities,

I hope to continue my community activity by being re-elected as your CSRD director for the North Shuswap, Area F.