Candidates competing in Oak Bay-Gordon Head hit the ground running since the writ dropped last week.
As provincial leader of the B.C. Greens, Andrew Weaver stands to draw the most attention in Oak Bay – Gordon Head amidst polls that show provincial support for the Greens in the mid-teens across Vancouver Island and the province.
An Insights West survey shows Weaver with a personal approval rating of 35 per cent, five per cent ahead of Premier Christy Clark and two per cent behind New Democratic leader John Horgan, whose party also leads early polls.
Challenging Weaver in the local riding are BC Liberal Alex Dutton, an Oak-Bay-born Victoria-based lawyer, and New Democrat Bryce Casavant, a former conservation officer who made provincial news for his refusal to shoot a pair of orphaned bear cubs.
This trio already publicly clashed last month during a forum at the University of Victoria and the tone of the debate suggested that Dutton and Casavant believe each could upset Weaver, who won the riding by 11 per cent in 2013 against former Saanich councillor and Liberal MLA Ida Chong, who had held the riding for nearly 17 years.
British Columbians head to the polls on May 9, with 87 seats up for grabs, two more than in 2013 thanks to redistribution based on population growth.
