In 2013: Green Party leader Andrew Weaver made a breakthrough, defeating Liberal Incumbent Ida Chong handily (40 per cent-29 per cent) and becoming the first Green Party MLA in B.C. history.
In 2009: Ida Chong defeated Jessica Van der Veen by just 561 votes, 47 per cent to 44 per cent.
History & Geography: A descendant 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 or Green have changed the landscape.
Candidates
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Liberals – Alex Dutton: A practicing lawyer, she previously worked at the Ministry of Health.
NDP- Bryce Casavant: A former B.C Conservation Officer, he found international attention after refusing to euthanize a pair of orphaned bear cubs. As a result he was transferred out of that job to the Ministry of Forests. A “parachute candidate” Casavant lives in Port McNeill. He previously was a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces and spent six years as an international peacekeeper.
Greens – Andrew Weaver (incumbent): The BC Green Party leader has kept a very high profile in Victoria, for being his party’s sole MLA. Weaver has been front and centre on the issue of political fundraising reform, refusing to take corporate or union donations. Before entering politics, Weaver, a professor at the University of Victoria, was best known as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Weaver has been named a Guggenheim Fellow, and was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 2008.
The Vancouver Island Party – Jin Dong Yang-Riley: The Vancouver Island Party is a ‘single issue’ party dedicated to the secession of Vancouver Island from B.C. to become a separate province within Confederation. They are running four candidates.
4BC – Xaanja Free: 4BC; Xaanja Free is the only candidate running under the 4BC banner, the first ‘alphanumeric’ party in B.C. history. She describes herself as an art history graduate from UVic with a Minor in Education. She says she is Metis, an artist, a poet and an educator.
2017 Stats: Oak Bay-Gordon Head
Population (2014): 55,689 (50th)
Population Deviation from Average: 4.8 per cent
Area: 330 sq km (45th)
Pop Density: 168.8 (43rd)
Average Age: 46.9 years (15th)
English as Second Language: 18.84 per cent (40th)
Top 3 Second Languages:
Chinese, n.o.s. – 2.72 per cent
Cantonese – 1.85 per cent
Mandarin – 1.62 per cent
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