[1] Stewart's father Dick Jr. purchased a West Kelowna vineyard in 1956 which Ben would later incorporate as Quails' Gate Estate Winery.

[2] Their tasting room and wine shop was located in an historical building, built by one of the first white settlers in the area,[1] before being replaced with a more modern facility during their 2007 expansion.

[7] Stewart also served as the marketing chair of the BC Wine Institute, chairman of the Vintners Quality Alliance, and as a member of the UBC Okanagan Advisory Council.

[8] In 2005, following Member of Parliament Werner Schmidt's announcement that he would not stand for re-election in the next federal election, Stewart campaigned to be the next Conservative Party of Canada candidate in the Kelowna—Lake Country riding.

While six other candidates ran, Kelowna city councillor Ron Cannan eventually won the Conservative Party nomination and went on to win the 2006 general election.

[9] In 2008, following MLA Rick Thorpe's decision not to stand in the next provincial election, and following the re-alignment of electoral boundaries to create the Westside-Kelowna riding, Stewart sought to be the B.C.

[12] As minister, Stewart was immediately thrust into the spotlight as allegations against the Public Affairs Bureau arose concerning the suppression of a report, that should have been released prior to the election, showing a 50% increase in welfare enrollments in 2009.

Within the first few weeks, he toured the Peace River region, which had suffered a dry summer, and spoke about improving ministry programs like Agristability and production insurance.

[16] Stewart signed a memorandum of understanding with the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Gail Shea for regulating aquaculture as a "shared responsibility".

[21] In October 2013, Premier Clark appointed Stewart as BC Special Representative in Asia, a position based in Beijing.