Provincial election guide: Candidates running in Saanich North and the Islands

The Saanich North and the Islands electoral district consists of the Southern Gulf Islands as well as the municipalities of North Saanich, Central Saanich and Sidney.

The riding was established in 1991, and from the time of its creation until 2013, it was held by the BC Liberals.

Between 2013 and 2017, the riding was represented by the BC NDP until former BC Green Party MLA Adam Olsen won the seat. Olsen served two terms as MLA for the riding until 2024 when he stepped down and Rob Botterell was voted in, winning by around 1,400 votes. 

Now Botterell too is stepping down and the BC Greens Leader Emily Lowan is running in Saanich North and the Islands. 

Here are the candidates running to be the next MLA for the Saanich North and the Islands electoral district:

Emily Lowan – BC Green Party

Lowan was elected to lead the BC Greens in September 2025 and is now seeking a seat in the legislature for the first time. 

She grew up on Vancouver Island and is running in order to help people afford to build a life, get care when they need it and protect the island and planet for this generation and the next.

The 26-year-old candidate has experience bringing people together as a coalition builder working in rural, urban, labour and environmental sectors. Her work included advocacy for federal pollution regulations for Climate Action Network Canada. 

She has also worked as an investigative researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Corporate Mapping Project, where she exposed corporate influence in government.

Her focus throughout the campaign trail has been to stand up for affordable housing, accessible healthcare, a fair economy and a liveable planet.

This is Lowan’s first election as a candidate. 

Find information on the BC Greens’ platform here. 

Kala Bryson – BC NDP

Bryson is a lawyer and community advocate hoping to strengthen public institutions and improve access to justice, if elected. 

She earned her Juris Doctor from UVic’s law program and has since engaged in volunteer work to make systems work better for the people who rely on them. 

Bryson’s priorities are to create jobs, to strengthen healthcare and to bring down the cost of daily life.

She has stepped into the shoes of former BC NDP candidate in the Saanich North and the Islands district, Sarah Riddell, who was the runner up to the BC Greens during the 2024 provincial election. 

This is her first election running as a candidate. 

Find information on the BC NDP’s platform here. 

Ryan Windsor – Conservative Party of BC

Windsor has over a decade of local leadership experience as a member of the Central Saanich council. 

He became a councillor in 2013 after winning a byelection, and was then elected as mayor in 2014. In 2018 and 2022 Windsor was re-elected as mayor by acclamation. 

In his time as mayor, Windsor worked towards fair governance, fiscally responsible management of infrastructure and services and building long-term funding for the essential water and sewer systems.

He has also served as a director on the Capital Regional District board. 

Windsor has been a supporter of local food production and the farming community of the Saanich Peninsula. 

Prior to working in politics, Windsor worked in the private sector and in his family’s business, DEVINE Distillery, which is now permanently closed.

Though he has worked in local politics, this election is Windsor’s first running in a provincial election. 

Find information on the BC Conservatives’ platform here. 

Richard Smith – CentreBC

Smith is a research scientist and project manager whose field of expertise is in immunology and microbiology. 

His work and studies have allowed him to publish several peer-reviewed scientific articles and develop numerous international patents.

More recently, Smith has worked for Defence R&D Canada and the Canadian Forces Health Services Group developing vaccines and broad spectrum anti-viral drugs. 

He has worked as part of a nationwide group developing a framework for reducing the price of biologic drugs. 

Smith has volunteer experience as president of the Royal Canadian SAR in Sidney, leading groups of young adults to Baja, California to build houses and schools. 

He also treated patients in Baja and was part of an international response to the massive 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

This will be Smith’s first election as a candidate. 

Find information on CentreBC’s platform here.

Voting information

Advance voting will take place from October 16th to 21st, with voting places open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. 

Final Voting Day is Saturday, October 24th, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voters can confirm their electoral district and find voting locations through Elections BC.