Former Victoria MP Murray Rankin has won the provincial NDP nomination in Oak Bay-Gordon Head.
Rankin, who represented the NDP in the House of Commons before leaving federal politics last year, defeated former Oak Bay councillor Michelle Kirby to carry the party’s colours in the Oct. 24 provincial election.
He’ll be up against B.C. Liberal candidate and lawyer Roxanne Helme to win the seat left vacant by the departure of former B.C. Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver, who won there in 2013 and 2017. The Greens have yet to name a candidate in the riding.
In other races, Grace Lore, a researcher and lecturer at the Univeristy of Victoria, won the NDP nomination in Victoria-Beacon Hill. She will seek to replace long-time NDP MLA and Finance Minister Carole James, who is leaving politics for health reasons.
Lore will be up against Liberal candidate Karen Bill, a public policy specialist who lost to James in 2013 and 2017.
The Liberals also announced that Stephen P. Roberts, a former commercial banker, will run in Saanich North and the Islands for the third straight election. Roberts lost to former NDP MLA Gary Holman by just 163 votes in 2013 then finished third in 2017 behind Green MLA Adam Olsen and Holman.
In Cowichan Valley, the NDP have nominated North Cowichan municipal councilor Rob Douglas, while the Liberals have chosen public servant Tanya Kaul to challenge B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau.
More to come
