Saturday June 7, 2025 | SOOKE, BC [Posted at 12:07 pm | Updated at 3:30 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
A by-election to fill one vacancy on District of Sooke council is scheduled for Saturday July 12, 2025.
The official list of candidates was announced yesterday by the District of Sooke. Seven candidates are vying for the one open spot on council.
This by-election will fill the council seat left vacant by Dana Lajeunesse, who was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Juan de Fuca-Malahat in the 2024 provincial election.
Voters who live in the District of Sooke may participate in the July 12, 2025 by-election. Residents of the nearby Juan de Fuca unincorporated areas (e.g. Otter Point, East Sooke) are not eligible to vote.
The Chief Electoral Officer is Jessica Bagnall.
Also see: By-election information on the District of Sooke website.
Timeline:
The by-election date could have been set much earlier than July 2025 but awaiting results of the April 28, 2025 federal election was a factor, as long-time Sooke Mayor Maja Tait ran as the NDP candidate for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke.
Tait did not win the federal seat and returned within two days to her role as mayor. Tait’s campaign manager, Katherine Strongwind, is now one of the council by-election candidates.
Official Candidates – July 12, 2025 by-election:
- Shaun Burns
- Nick Dickinson-Wilde
- Herb Haldane
- Nathan McKeown
- Elaine Price
- Helen Ritts
- Katherine Strongwind
Political analysis:
As Maja Tait was running for federal office, the scuttlebutt was that she would wrap up her political career. Now it appears she could well seek an other term in the October 17, 2026 general municipal elections, especially with her trusted campaign manager Katherine Strongwind now seeking a seat on council.
Current council:
The current council of five councillors is comprised of Jeff Bateman (who served as acting mayor while Tait was on the federal campaign trail), Al Beddows, Megan McMath, Kevin Pearson, and Tony St-Pierre. Of those, Bateman and Pearson are the longest-serving, but Beddows is long-time of community service in Sooke (including with the Sooke Lions) and St-Pierre is a local farmer and one of the most aggressively vocal councillors at the Union of BC Municipalities conventions.
- Jeff Bateman has a strong presence in the net-zero and climate-solutions community. A writer by profession, Bateman might now by old standards be retired (he and his wife Carolyn Bateman having paid off their mortgage) but continues to serve.
- Al Beddows has served on the SEAPARC Recreation Centre board and has long been a leader with the Sooke Lions. His service is synonymous with the local cultural life of Sooke.
- Megan McMath‘s attendance at council meetings has been sparse at best during the last term (2018-2022) and the current term (2022 to present). Her hours of employment at the Ecomm-911 service may be a factor, but the community has begun to push back on her steady absences. She has been a member of the Sooke Economic Development Group. She has backing from the tourism community.
- Kevin Pearson was first elected to Sooke council in 2011, then re-elected in 2014 and 2022. In 2018 he ran for mayor in Sooke, coming in second behind the re-elected Maja Tait. Pearson was born and raised in Sooke. A former millwright at Sooke Forest Products he then was employed with Canada Post for 35 years (last position in Victoria as the Operations Manager). He supports the development community and brings a strong business approach to the council table.
- Tony St-Pierre has a political edge that cuts through to core issues. He first ran in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. He strongly supports the agricultural community as well as environmental issues.
By-election candidates:
The District of Sooke by-election candidates represent a fairly wide range of interests and political experience.
With just one year to go until the October 2026 municipal election, voters may consider who is the best fit with the current council, with an eye who might go further in next year’s election.
- Shaun Burns – Moved to Sooke from Calgary. Employed as a sales consultant with Sysco Foods. According to his Facebook page, he was a student of Medieval and Ancient History and Political Science at the University of Calgary.
- Nick Dickinson-Wilde – Politically alert and issue-aware. Digitally-inclined. Tech Lead at Taoti Creative. He holds his Official’s Qualification Certificate with Karate BC. Ran for Sooke council in 2022. | External link about Nick Dickinson-Wilde
- Herb Haldane – Elected to Sooke Council in 2008 and 2011; ran for Mayor in 2014; ran again for council in 2018 and 2022. Long-time Sooke resident, homebuilder in the Sooke area. Was a BC United candidate for provincial MLA in 2024, until the BC United Party pulled out of the election.
- Nathan McKeown – Project management grad from Royal Roads University.
- Elaine Price – Retired after 50 years of nursing, holds BSN. Continuing to support her team as a consultant. Skilled in nonprofit organizations, team building, health promotion, management, and elder care.
- Helen Ritts – Has been a board member of Friends of Sooke Parks. Entrepreneur as part of BC Island Vacation Homes. Marketing manager in architecture and design.
- Katherine Strongwind – Campaign manager for the Maja Tait NDP federal campaign in 2025. Her campaign slogan is Honouring Tradition, Building Tomorrow, Growing the Economy. She has been Executive Director of the Songhees Nation, Executive Director for the Treaty One Nation, and a Ministerial Advisor for both the Ministers of Forests and Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation. She is the founder and volunteer coordinator for the 60s Scoop Legacy of Canada. She hopes for a “stronger, more connected Sooke”. She will be meeting residents at the Sooke Night Market on Thursday evenings. | External link about Katherine Strongwind
Official list of candidates (District of Sooke weblink).
How to Vote: advance, special, general:
- Advance Voting Days: Wednesday, July 2, 2025 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm) and Wednesday, July 9, 2025 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm) – Sooke Council Chamber, municipal hall, 2205 Otter Point Road.
- Special Voting Opportunity: Thursday, July 3, 2025 (12:30 pm to 2:30 pm) – Ayre Manor Lodge, 6744 Ayre Road (for Assisted Living and Complex Care Residents Only)
- General Voting Day: Saturday, July 12, 2025 (8:00 am to 8:00 pm) – Edward Milne Community School, 6218 Sooke Rd.
- General Voting Day: Saturday, July 12, 2025
Contact for more info: Chief Election Officer at 250-642-1634 or email elections@sooke.ca
Next province-wide municipal election:
Mayor and six councillors will complete a four-year term as District of Sooke council up until the next BC-wide municipal election which is scheduled for October 17, 2026.
===== RELATED:
- District of Sooke by-election coming up July 12, 2025 (May 20, 2025)
- NDP candidate Maja Tait enters federal politics during socioeconomic shift (March 27, 2025)
- Dana Lajeunesse launches into his new role as Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility (February 23, 2025)
- MLA-elect Dana Lajeunesse resigns from District of Sooke council (November 8, 2024)
- Dana Lajeunesse pulls it off for BC NDP in Juan de Fuca-Malahat (October 28, 2024)
- Maja Tait kickstarts her federal campaign in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke (September 1, 2023)
- NEWS SECTIONS: SOOKE | BC MUNICIPAL 2026 | SOUTH VANCOUVER ISLAND | POLITICS