The BC Liberals have officially confirmed Stephen Roberts as their candidate for Saanich North and the Islands as New Democrats promise to announce their candidates in the coming days.
The BC Liberals officially announced Roberts’ candidacy Saturday. For Roberts, it is the third time running for the party in the riding, having finished third in 2017 and second in 2013.
While the BC Greens have nominated incumbent Adam Olsen, the New Democrats have not yet officially announced a candidate for the provincial election scheduled for Oct. 24.
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“The NDP continues with our process of candidate selection and nomination for ridings across the province, including Saanich North and the Islands,” said Heather Finn, says a party spokesperson. “We’ll have exciting news to share in the coming days.”
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Finn made those comments on Thursday, three days after the start of the current provincial election campaign, with Saanich North and Islands likely to be one of the more competitive ridings in the province.
In 2013, Gary Holman won the riding by 163 votes ahead of Roberts and 379 votes ahead of Olsen, who would win the riding in 2017, by more than 11 per cent and 4,000 votes ahead of Holman, with Roberts coming in third.
Several commentators have noted the upcoming provincial election — deemed by many a snap election — gives returning incumbents an advantage in terms of organization, a point supported by evidence from the Saanich North of the Islands, as signs advertising Olsen have dominated so far, at least visually.
New Democratic signs have appeared around the Saanich Peninsula, but given the current absence of a local candidate, they advertise a candidate who is not even running in the riding: New Democratic leader John Horgan.
All three major parties competing in this year’s provincial election are still looking to fill candidates.
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