Central Saanich councillor Sarah Riddell will be the BC NDP candidate for the Saanich North and the Islands (SNI) riding in the upcoming provincial election.
Riddell received the nod in an Aug. 22 riding association vote, which saw members choose her over Zeb King, the NDP candidate for SNI in the 2020 election and a fellow Central Saanich council member.
Riddell, who topped the polls in her first council race in 2022, has a master’s degree in public and health administration, and more than 15 years of experience in public health care administration. She is currently a director in the B.C. Ministry of Health. According to candidate information, “she led the practical implementation of our government’s new payment model for family doctors, one of the most significant primary health care reforms in decades.”
Riddell lives with her husband Evan and two young children Alicia and Clayton in Brentwood Bay. She is involved with conservation, trail and running organizations, and she volunteers with Beacon Community Services, the Peninsula Country Market, her kids’ sports teams and helps out with community events.
As a Central Saanich councillor her priorities have been affordable housing, climate action, and active transportation and road safety.
The provincial election is set for Saturday, Oct. 19.
Other candidates nominated to date are David Busch for the BC Conservatives, and Robert Botterell for the BC Greens, although the Green party’s nomination process is being challenged by Salt Spring Islander Amy Haysom, who was in the running for the position before the party withdrew support for her candidacy. The other major provincial party — BC United (formerly the BC Liberal Party) — has yet to name a candidate. The deadline to file candidate nominations with Elections BC is Sept. 21.