It’s where the Greens struck gold in the 2011 federal election, with leader Elizabeth May becoming the first-ever MP for the party.
Now, Adam Olsen is angling to become British Columbia’s first-ever Green Party MLA in the riding of Saanich North and the Islands.
With long-time Liberal MLA Murray Coell calling it quits on his political career, the seat he held for 16 years is up for grabs.
NDP candidate Gary Holman may have the best shot at taking it after narrowly losing out to Coell by 300 votes in the 2009 provincial election, especially with recent polls showing a healthy lead for the New Democrats heading into Tuesday’s election.
He’ll be pushed by Liberal candidate Stephen Roberts, who could also be seen as a good bet to win a riding that has been consistently Liberal for more than a decade.
Roberts has strong ties to the world of finance, having served as a chief operating officer for international banks Merrill Lynch, ING and Citibank.
Pundits say the riding is likely a close, two-party race between the Liberals and NDP, with Olsen and Independent candidate Scott McEachern, a local business owner, posing an outside threat.
But Olsen is buoyed by the fact that the people voting Tuesday are the same constituents who made history by sending federal leader May to parliament in 2011 as the first Green MP.
He’s also gained popularity in his role as a Central Saanich councillor who has worked on strengthening ties between First Nations and municipal governments.
Could it be a three-horse race? The emergence of the Greens as a legitimate political contender on the federal level makes Saanich North a battleground poised to surprise on election night.
Tune in to CTV British Columbia’s LIVE election coverage Tuesday, May 14, starting at 8 p.m.
