Decision BC: Oak Bay-Gordon Head

In 2009: Ida Chong defeated Jessica Van der Veen by 561 votes, 47-44%. The close result was nothing new for Chong, who has won by under 1500 votes in three of her four election victories.

History & Geography: A descendent of the old Oak Bay district, the current riding was created before the 1991 election, and contains Oak Bay and the parts of Saanich east of Shelbourne and Cedar Hill streets. Home of many of Victoria’s wealthiest residents, it has gone to the Liberals and Social Credit parties in 13 of the last 15 elections. But a large student population around UVic, and other areas further away from the coast that lean NDP have narrowed the gap between the parties here over the past few decades.

Basic Stats:

• Population: 48875 (65th)

• Size: 30 km (60th)

• Density: 1629.2 people/km (28th)

Odds and Ends: Less than 0.1% of single-parent families living in this riding were classified as low income after taxes in 2005 – the lowest number in the province.

Candidates

Liberals-Ida Chong: Minister of Community, Sports and Cultural Development, Chong has held a variety of cabinet positions within the Liberal government. She was first elected to her Oak Bay-Gordon Head riding in 1996. Before entering politics, she was a partner in an accounting firm.

NDP-Jessica Van der Veen: A former actress, Van der Veen has been a community activist in recent years, fighting against the sale of public school lands across the province. She has been Director of Part-time Studies as Gastown Actors’ Studio, and has a Masters of Public Administration from UVic.

Conservatives-Greg Kazakoff: A chartered accountant, Kazakoff has provided audit services to various levels of government in British Columbia. He has also worked for the provincial government in the Ministery of Labour of Citizens Services. Kazakoff has received recognition for his extensive volunteer contributions in the community.

Greens-Andrew Weaver: A professor at the University of Victoria, Weaver is best known as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. The Canada Research Chair in climate modelling and analysis, Weaver has been named a Guggenheim Fellow, was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 2008.