Oliver's introduction to the rough-and-tumble of British Columbia politics was neither kind nor gentle. A plain-spoken, rough-hewn man, he was derided as a hayseed by the more urbane and experienced members of the assembly. His unsophisticated clothes, heavy boots, and often crude use of the English language were lampooned by opponents. The Victoria Week described him in 1905 as "a good farmer and a weak politician, given to long-winded and very ungrammatical attacks upon anyone who does not agree with him." This criticism did not dampen his spirits; rather, he became even more determined to show that an ordinary man could make a contribution to the democratic process. He studied parliamentary procedure and, over time, he made the transition from municipal to provincial politics, carefully choosing the causes that he championed in the assembly.
From Biographi Canada
John Oliver governed competently and honestly through a difficult period of transition in our provincial history, never forgetting his humble roots, hence his nick name “Honest John”. A farmer himself, his dedication to developing a fruit industry in the South Okanagan and his vision of an irrigation system to support the industry,
turned a desert of sagebrush into the rich, productive farming community that Oliver is today.
A memorial statue of John Oliver was created by Leta Shore and installed in the spring of 2007 by the Oliver Heritage
Society in his honour.
Following the First World War, BC’s premier, known as "Honest" John Oliver, envisioned an irrigation canal, which would bring this dry Sonora Desert region to life. The South Okanagan Lands Project was born, creating jobs and long term opportunities for veterans returning from World War I. The original townsite of Oliver was surveyed in 1921. Completed in 1923, the concrete irrigation canal (locally known as "the ditch") soon transformed this desert region into lush orchards and farms.
From the Town of Oliver