Wednesday October 16, 2019 ~ COLWOOD
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Election signs for candidates in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke have been popping up all around the region.
Some signs get kicked down — a form of ‘road rage’ one presumes? Today all the candidates’ signs in one stretch of the Old Island Highway in View Royal were found to be down, but in the spirit of civic service the Jamie Hammond (Liberal) team set all of them back up right again.
Campaign signs are a proud statement by candidates and their teams. Even if they don’t sway someone’s vote, they definitely boost the morale of the already-decided and the campaign team workers themselves.
For the candidate it’s also a way of declaring their commitment to the community.
Candidates in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke are: Randall Garrison, NDP (incumbent); Jeremy Gustafson, PPC; Jamie Hammond, Liberal; David Merner, Green; Randall Pewarchuk, Conservative; and Tyson Strandlund, Communist.
- Analysis by West Shore Voice News:
- It appears it could be a tight race for Randall Garrison, NDP as the incumbent who has already served two terms in the House of Commons as the MP for Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke. He has a resilient core base of support but there is plenty of robust competition.
- David Merner as the Green candidate came a strong second against Garrison in the 2015 election (at that time he was a Liberal candidate) and has been campaigning since December 2018 throughout the riding.
- There could be strong support for Liberal candidate Jamie Hammond (retired military) among the many military families that live in Esquimalt, Colwood and Sooke within the large riding. Hammond also seems to resonate well with youth at the various candidate meetings.
- Randall Pewarchuk likely has a strong Conservative core base in rural Metchosin (where he lives) and in the Sooke area, as well as his professional connections in the west shore through his career as a dentist.
========= NOTES:
- The federal general election voting day is Monday October 21. Polling stations will be open from 7 am to 7 pm. Check your Voter Identification Card for your voting location (which you should take along with you when you go to vote), or check for that information at www.Elections.ca