Saturday June 29, 2024 | SOOKE, BC
Political analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Getting dropped into a dunk tank is obviously not what BC Green Party candidate David Evans would want to see on election night on October 19.
But on Canada Day that’s exactly what he’s hoping for … to be at the receiving end of a lot of public attention from voters in the Sooke area as someone who can get dropped into the dunk tank during Sooke Canada Day activities at Sooke Flats on July 1.
Ahead of that experience Evans will be at the Malahat Legion for pancakes as part of Canada Day celebrations on the east side of the riding.
Sooke is rather central in the new Juan de Fuca-Malahat riding, with Metchosin and East Sooke beyond.
This week the BC United Party announced long-time Sooke businessman and former city councillor Herb Haldane as their candidate for Juan de Fuca-Malahat. Haldane is a home builder who has helped drive the urbanized higher-density housing development in Sooke, including being a member of the Sooke Homebuilders Association.
Also a long-time businessman in Sooke (he was the founder and owner of The Stick in the Mud Coffee House from 2007 until last year), BC Green Party candidate David Evans embraces the rural aspects of the region.
“It is interesting to note the similarity of issues across the new — and quite rural — riding,” says Evans. “Transportation, water security, local economic development, provision of health care… are all significant concerns from Port Renfrew to Cobble Hill. Plus of course, the well-known major issues that affect each of us.”
No NDP candidate yet:
“I know that the NDP is now underway in a competitive nomination campaign in the riding. I do not know the two nominees well but there is word of a third nominee entering the race soon, which would be good to see,” says Evans.
Apparently one of the BC NDP candidate considerations is second-term District of Sooke Councillor Dana LaJeunesse. An update on candidate selection is anticipated for July 20.
As Ravi Parmar (and before him the former Premier John Horgan) has been the NDP MLA for much of the same area of the now expiring Langford-Juan de Fuca riding, it will be tough to find an NDP candidate with the same profile and punch. This could be the NDP’s riding to lose in October 2024.
It may have been an oversight of the provincial NDP to not groom long-time Mayor Maja Tait for the provincial level; Tait will instead be seeking a federal win in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke.
Conservatives early launch:
The Conservative Party of BC candidate for Juan de Fuca-Malahat is a family doctor from the Cobble Hill area, who brings with her the Ukranian immigrant experience.
Dr Marina Sapozhnikov launched her campaign well ahead of the rest, already getting out into the community back in November 2023 and taking part in a a lot of Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad’s events and rallies. She promotes the party’s ‘common sense’ spin and will likely focus on health care as a key issue in the campaign.
Sapozhnikov has had the support of long-time Sooke resident activist Ellen Lewers who is influential within the ‘common sense’ momentum of the conservative faction in the region, including the local agricultural sector.
The riding & election date:
The Juan de Fuca-Malahat riding includes Sooke, Metchosin, Juan de Fuca (which includes East Sooke, Otter Point, Shirley and Port Renfrew), Cobble Hill, Mill Bay and Shawnigan. It is a new riding created in response to population growth on south Vancouver Island.
The Malahat stretch of Highway 1 will be a significant travel and time consideration for campaign teams and candidates to contend with including possible impacts by weather and traffic incidents.
The 2024 provincial election campaign period starts September 21. The election date is on October 19, 2024. [See BC Election News Articles]
===== RELATED:
- BC United picks Herb Haldane for Juan de Fuca-Malahat race (June 28, 2024)
- Electoral momentum in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke (June 21, 2024)
- Sooke businessman David Evans now BC Green candidate for Juan de Fuca – Malahat (May 11, 2024)
- Three west shore ridings heating up toward BC Election 2024 (February 12, 2024)
- BC Conservatives launch family doc for MLA in Juan de Fuca-Malahat (February 6, 2024)
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