Global News is projecting Rob Botterell to win in Saanich North and the Islands, meaning the BC Green Party will likely hold onto the riding.
Saanich North and the Islands is a provincial riding located on Vancouver Island. In the last sitting of the legislature, it was represented by BC Green Party MLA Adam Olsen who first took office in 2017. Olsen collected 17,897 votes, winning 51.97 per cent of the vote in the 2020 B.C. provincial election.
This was a riding to watch after Olsen, who was incredibly popular, announced he was retiring from politics and Botterell stepped up. Olsen won the riding by 23 per cent in 2020.
The move could have spelled trouble for the Greens, who have seen ridings flip in the absence of a popular incumbent MLA in the past. When former BC Green Leader Andrew Weaver retired, the party saw Oak Bay-Gordon Head, which Weaver won by more than 28 per cent, flip to the NDP’s Murray Rankin with more than a 25 per cent margin of victory.
This situation was not identical, as the NDP did not run a well-known former MP this year. However, Central Saanich Councillor Sarah Ridell did have name recognition.
Meanwhile, the BC Conservatives ran lawyer David Busch.
For many voters, their riding may have changed in this provincial election.
Following the 2020 provincial election, the Electoral Boundaries Commission was required to complete a redistribution of seats.
After the final report was released, an act was passed in 2023 to increase seats in the B.C. legislature from 87 to 93. This includes four new ridings in the Lower Mainland, one on Vancouver Island, and one in the Interior.
In addition, 72 ridings had their boundaries adjusted. Forty-one ridings had their names changed.
Saanich North and the Islands has seen minor changes for this election, after losing Brentwood Bay to Saanich South.
Voters will decide who will represent Saanich North and the Islands during the upcoming B.C. provincial election on Oct. 19, 2024.
Visit this page on election night for a complete breakdown of up-to-the-minute results.