Thursday, March 28, 2024

BC Election Riding Profile: Victoria-Swan Lake

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From October 10 to 16, Victoria Buzz will be profiling the seven ridings in the Greater Victoria area.

We reached out to candidates to provide information on what they think the most important issues are in this election.

Previous riding profiles can be found in our BC Election news section.

Today we wrap up this series by looking at the riding of Victoria-Swan Lake.

The riding overlaps sections of Saanich and Victoria, including Gorge Road all the way west to the Portage Inlet, as well as the neighbourhoods of Cedar Hill and Quadra.

Here are the candidates running for the riding:

BC NDP – Rob Fleming (incumbent)

Age: 48
Background: Minister of Education

Key issues:
“Number one is to keep strong, science-based leadership safely guiding families, communities and businesses through the end of the health crisis.

Affordable housing and childcare are critically important to the families of Victoria-Swan Lake.

In just three years, we’ve created 1,650 new childcare spaces and 3,500 new affordable homes in the capital region for working families, seniors, students and vulnerable people.

I want more people connecting with a family doctor through our new Urgent Primary Care Centres in Saanich and Victoria.

Additionally accelerated infrastructure in our region will create jobs, a strong recovery and a low carbon future.”

BC Green Party – Annemieke Holthuis

Age: Unspecified
Background: Former federal government lawyer/public servant

Key issues:
“I am running for the BC Greens as I want a government that is collaborative and wants to work, with other parties, for the people of British Columbia.

To make our communities more sustainable, we need to address homelessness, coordinate and manage police and social service resources, and reduce systemic racism.

We also must take concrete actions to address the climate crisis. Together, we can enact real climate action, get to carbon neutrality by 2045, protect our remaining old-growth forests, and ban fracking, while supporting all our communities to move towards a green economy.”

BC Liberal Party – David Somerville

Age: 25
Background: Legislative Assistant, 2018 UVic Graduate

Key issues:
“We need a government that will prioritize students and families when it comes to addressing affordability.

The NDP however, are more focused on power than finding solutions. They broke their agreement with the Green Party, forcing an election in the middle of a pandemic.

They insist that ICBC will become cheaper despite the premiums increasing roughly 40% over their tenure.

The BC Liberals have a plan to make life affordable. Eliminating the PST for one year will save families hundreds of dollars.

We also plan to end the ICBC monopoly, giving British Columbians the choice of finding cheaper car insurance.”

Communist Party of BC – Walter Parsons

Age: 29
Background: Truck Driver, Student

Key issues:
“The fact that while working-class and poor people have kept this society operating, ensuring folks can get essentials during the pandemic while bearing with low wages, Canada’s billionaires have increased their wealth by almost $40B without doing any work at all.

I fear the conversation surrounding how to repay the pandemic debt is not talking about taxing the super-wealthy, but burdening hard-working everyday British Columbians with increased income and other taxes.

I needed to stand up as the only socialist candidate in Victoria-Swan Lake to talk about a system that works for the many, not the few.”

Tim Ford
Tim Ford
Digital staff writer with Victoria Buzz

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