MLA Linda Larson has dismissed a suggestion that she favours amalgamation of the towns of Osoyoos and Oliver.

At an all-candidates forum Wednesday, Larson was asked to comment on press reports that she would like to see the towns amalgamated.

She chuckled when she answered, “I favour amalgamation of some services.”

An Osoyoos weekly newspaper said in a front-page story Wednesday: “MLA Linda Larson says she would like to see amalgamation of Osoyoos and Oliver, but elected local officials should make the decision.”

The story claimed Larson made the comment at an Osoyoos forum last week.

The Boundary-Similkameen MLA said Wednesday: “(I said) it would make sense if we shared the regional costs of some of the regional type of services between the two communities.

“The amalgamation (I mentioned) was not of the communities. The amalgamation was for things like policing. And that’s where the comment originally came from.”

No other media covering last week’s forum interpreted Larson’s comments as favouring amalgamation of the two towns.

NDP candidate Colleen Ross said at Wednesday’s forum that her party has no position on such an amalgamation. “Decisions like that have to be made at the local level,” she said.