Vancouver Island candidates in the 2020 B.C. provincial election

Here is the final list of provincial election candidates running in Vancouver Island’s 14 ridings.

More detailed information can be found here:

Victoria-Beacon Hill

NDP — UVic researcher and lecturer Grace Lore will run in place of 15-year-incumbent Carole James, the finance minister and deputy premier, who announced in March that she would not run again.

Liberals — Karen Bill, a public policy specialist who lost to James in 2013 and 2017.

Greens — Activist Jenn Neilson, founder of the Out There Art Festival.

Independent — Jordan Reichert ran federally for the Animal Protection Party in 2015 and 2019

Victoria-Swan Lake

NDP — Education Minister Rob Fleming has been in office since 2005.

Liberals — David Somerville, legislative assistant for Liberal MLAs

Greens — Federal lawyer Annemieke Holthuis

Communist — Walt Parsons

Independent — Jenn Smith

Oak Bay-Gordon Head

NDP — Former Victoria MP Murray Rankin, who stepped away from politics last year, has re-entered at the provincial level.

Liberals — Lawyer Roxanne Helme was nominated in June.

Greens — Nicole Duncan seeks to replace Andrew Weaver, the climate scientist who in 2013 became the first Green elected to the legislature. He chose not to run again.

Communist — Florian Castle

Saanich South

NDP — Agriculture Minister Lana Popham has held the seat since 2009.

Liberals — Rishi Sharma, who ran for this seat in 2013 and for Saanich council in 2018

Greens — Kate O’Connor will turn 18 just days before the election. That’s the minimum age for a candidate.

Saanich North and the Islands

NDP — Central Saanich councillor Zeb King

Liberals — Stephen P. Roberts, a former commercial banker, will contest the seat for the third straight election.

Greens — Adam Olsen, elected in 2017, served as interim Green leader after Weaver stepped down.

Esquimalt-Metchosin

NDP — Incumbent Mitzi Dean is seeking a second term

Liberals — Public affairs consultant R.J. Senko

Greens — Metchosin councillor Andy MacKinnon, who also ran here in 2017.

Independent — Desta McPherson

Langford-Juan de Fuca

NDP — This is Premier John Horgan’s home riding. He has been in office since 2005.

Liberals — Digital marketing entrepreneur Kelly Darwin

Greens — Highlands councillor Gord Baird.

Communist — Tyson Strandlund ran in the old Esquimalt-Metchosin riding in 2017, and ran federally in 2015 and 2019.

Cowichan Valley

NDP — North Cowichan municipal councilor Rob Douglas

Liberals — Cowichan Lake public servant Tanya Kaul

Greens — First-term MLA Sonia Furstenau, elected B.C. Greens’ leader Sept. 14, is the incumbent.

Nanaimo

NDP — Former member of Parliament Sheila Malcolmson won the seat in a 2019 byelection after the incumbent, Leonard Krog, stepped down to become mayor of Nanaimo.

Liberals — Retired social worker Kathleen Jones

Greens — Self-employed mediator Lia Versaevel ran in neighbouring Nanaimo-North Cowichan in 2017.

Nanaimo-North Cowichan

NDP — Incumbent Doug Routley has been in office since 2005.

Liberals — Ladysmith councillor Duck Paterson

Greens — Chris Istace, who served two terms as a city councillor in Estevan, Sask.

Parksville Qualicum

NDP — Qualicum Beach councillor Adam Walker

Liberals — Vancouver Island’s lone Liberal MLA, Michelle Stilwell, is finishing her second term.

Greens — Businessman and former naval officer Rob Lyon

Conservative — Don Purdey

Independent — John St. John

Mid Island-Pacific Rim

NDP — Tofino Mayor Josie Osborne is running for the seat being vacated by Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser

Liberals —Port Alberni councillor Helen Poon was announced as the candidate this month.

Greens — Evan Jolicoeur

Libertarian — Robert Alexander Clarke

Independent — Port Alberni’s Graham Hughes.

Courtenay-Comox

NDP — This was the tightest race in B.C. last time around, with New Democrat newcomer Ronna-Rae Leonard winning by just 189 votes after a recount. She’s running again.

Liberals — Entrepreneur Brennan Day was nominated in August.

Greens — Gillian Anderson. She one lost the race for the NDP nomination to Leonard in 2017.

North Island

NDP — Michele Babchuk, a Campbell River councillor and chair of the Strathcona Regional District, will take the place of 15-year incumbent Claire Trevena, the transportation minister.

Liberals — Norm Facey has a background in forestry.

Greens — Environmentalist Alexandra Morton, known for her long campaign against open-net pen fish farms.

Conservatives — John Twigg, a 1970s press secretary to NDP premier Dave Barrett, also ran in 2017.

> More information on our B.C. ELECTION PAGE