Sunday August 11, 2024 | SIDNEY, BC [Updated 3 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
In this slower time in August when people try to take pause — especially to gear up ahead of a major election — the BC Green Party has quietly announced a significant shift in one of their key ridings.
Where MLA Adam Olsen has raised the bar for small-party muscle and might, the party of only two seats in the BC Legislature is slotting in Rob Botterell as their candidate in Saanich North and the Islands.
It seems the BC Greens who voted to select their Saanich North and the Islands candidate have taken a traditional route, even quietly shunning a third candidate.
Perhaps after wrestling within the confines of the BC Legislative process for four years (just BC Green Leader Sonia Furstenau and Olsen as House Leader at the helm for the third party) it seems that the overall direction of the party has shifted to eyeing the mechanics of government rather than the broader environmental and socioeconomic goals that the Green political movement has been built upon.
Even the choice of candidate in this riding — a retired government lawyer — indicates an eye to more of the action in the BC Legislature than the needs of the local constituency, though the two realms are not mutually exclusive. Though the BC Greens (who hope to hold onto this seat after Olsen has held it for so long) will be up against a younger lawyer David Busch as the BC Conservative candidate.
The Saanich North and the Islands riding does in many ways encapsulate the contrasts and themes of today’s challenges in BC including urban/rural mix, environmental concerns, Indigenous issues, food supply, and more.
About Botterell:
A combo of government lawyer and First Nations leader, the BC Greens will have Botterell on the ballot for the October 19 provincial election.
In winning the nomination, Botterell said he would “continue in the footsteps of Adam Olsen who brought dignity, honour and dedication to his role as our MLA”.
As a lawyer working with the government Botterell led the Ministry of Finance team that was responsible for developing BC’s Freedom of Information law. Since retiring from government Rob Botterell has been a ‘happy warrior’ with his own consultancy “looking for new ways to contribute to successfully addressing the many challenges we face in this province”.
The BC Greens say that Botterell has “a proven track record of achieving significant results, such as protecting sacred lands from industrial use, negotiating improved social services funding, enhancing road safety, and increasing Indigenous partnerships in the forest sector”.
He has been against construction of the Site C dam (even though now even with Site C there is danger of BC Hydro electrical supply shortages in BC) and worked to resolve waterfront access issues collaboratively on the Southern Gulf Islands. Botterell said in his nomination speech last week that he aimed for “long-term solutions not short-term political fixes”.
Two other contenders:
There were two other contenders for the BC Green candidacy in Saanich North and the Islands.
Contender Stuart MacKinnon has worked as a special education teacher and as a federal Liberal constituency assistant. He recently married and relocated to the Saanich North area where where his wife has been a long-time resident and where he spent a lot of time back in his university years at UVic.
The third candidate — Amy Haysom (who was not even named in the BC Greens August 8 news release) — pointed out in her speech that “the political domain is still mainly dominated by older men”. Her presence in the campaign and her articulation of this point injected some refreshing energy into the process.
“Provincial politics needs refreshing relatable representatives who are accessible and have a far reach within their ridings,” said Haysom. She itemized her use of social media and public engagement in ramping up to the final candidate selection vote. Haysom is a yoga entrepreneur with a business based in Sidney.
Olsen in team management:
After serving two terms as the MLA for Saanich North and the Islands (elected in 2017 and re-elected in 2020) Olsen is now focused on running the party’s overall campaign for the October 19, 2024 election.
Competition in Saanich North and The Islands:
So far there is only one other contender in the Saanich North and The Islands riding, that being BC Conservative candidate David Busch.
So far there are no posted candidates for either the BC NDP or the BC United Party.
===== RELATED:
NEWS SECTIONS: BC PROVINCIAL ELECTION 2024 | POLITICS
===== ABOUT THE WRITER:
Mary P Brooke has been writing sociopolitical analysis as an independent journalist since 2008 in the south Vancouver Island region. She is the founder and editor of Island Social Trends (launched in 2020).
Ms Brooke reports alongside the BC Legislative Press Gallery, emerging from daily coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2022.
Mary’s previous publications were MapleLine Magazine (2008-2010), Sooke Voice News (2011-2013), and West Shore Voice News (2014-2020) — all of which are permanently archived at the Sooke Region Museum.