Hello there!

With the federal election date approaching, and early voting and mail ballots now available we're giving you a quick introduction today to the local candidates.

Today we're listing them with short bios and links to more of their material. Next week, we'll bring you more on their positions and priorities.

— Cam

NEWS

What are our local federal ridings?

There are two current Westshore ridings. Both are descendants of Esquimalt Juan de Fuca, which was won by NDP Randall Garrison before redistricting in 2015. Prior to that it had been dominated by Keith Martin, who ran with several parties: the Liberals (2004, 2006, 2008), Alliance (2000), Reform (1997, 1993) and briefly sat as an independent. Before Martin the seat was occupied by former premier Dave Barrett, the NDP's first BC Premier. Garrison had been a relatively close second at points in the 2000s before breaking through in 2011.

Garrison then held the descendant riding of Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke until his retirement last year, winning comfortably multiple times before stepping aside this past winter for health reasons after cueing up Sooke Mayor Maja Tait as his successor as NDP candidate. Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke skirts underneath the other Westshore riding, going along the coastline from Sooke at the edge through Metchosin and Colwood and then Esquimalt, and cuts inland to include View Royal and parts of Saanich.

The other portion of that previous Esquimalt–Juan de Fuca riding was combined with parts of the Cowichan riding to create Cowichan–Malahat–Langford. 

NDP MP Alistair MacGregor has won all three elections this riding has had, each time by double digits. A vast riding, C–M–L spans from Langford and Highlands west past Port Renfrew, northwest past Lake Cowichan, and north up the Malahat to Chemainus. The bulk of the riding population is at this point split fairly evenly between Langford residents and Cowichan Valley residents, following Langford's substantial growth in the past decade. 

Below are the 2025 candidates, in descending order of the party vote share in the riding’s past elections. Those party vote percentages are included in brackets, from the most recent in 2021 to the earliest in 2015.

Cowichan – Malahat – Langford candidates 

Alistair MacGregor – NDP (43%, 36%, 36%)

Incumbent MP MacGregor has sponsored bills in Parliament on issues including food price transparency, volunteer firefighters, and limits on freighters anchoring in local waters. He was a constituency assistant to former MP Jean Crowder and a tree planter before being elected. [Candidate page] [Campaign Facebook]

Jeff Kibble – Conservative (28%, 26%, 23%)

The Toronto-born, Vancouver-raised Kibble spent 28 years in the Royal Canadian Navy and volunteers with the Wounded Warrior BC run. His wife is in the Armed Forces, and he cared for her when she was injured. [Candidate page] [Campaign Facebook]

Blair Herbert – Liberal (16%, 16%, 24%)

Herbert has been the Liberal nominee in the past two elections as well. He is a real estate agent who ran a small business for 40 years; he was also formerly an RCMP officer and an immigration officer, and is currently a farmer. [Candidate page] [Campaign Facebook]

Kathleen Code – Green (6%, 20%, 16%)

Code worked for the province for 20+ years in economic development policy and currently chairs the stewardship of the Wildwood Ecoforest near Ladysmith. She also organized some of the legal defence for the Fairy Creek protests and is the Greens' critic on forest issues. [Candidate page] [Party riding assoc. Facebook]

Dagmar Groeschick – PPC (6%, 1%, N/A)

Groeschick, originally from Germany, is a former store manager and a cleaning business entrepreneur. [Candidate page]

Esquimalt – Saanich – Sooke candidates

Maja Tait – NDP (43%, 34%, 35%)

Tait has been on Sooke council since 2008, winning a seat shortly after moving to Sooke, and was elected mayor in 2014, 2018, and most recently in 2022 with 72% of the vote. She is on the CRD board and in 2019 was elected as president of the Union of BC Municipalities. [Candidate page] [Campaign Facebook]

Stephanie McLean – Liberal (22%, 18%, 27%)

McLean is a Colwood lawyer and a former Alberta NDP minister who served as Minister of Status of Women and Minister of Service Alberta in the Notley government before moving to the Island. In office she added protections against predatory lending. [Candidate page] [Party riding assoc. Facebook]

Grant Cool – Conservative (21%, 19%, 18%)

Cool is an aerospace engineer who moved to Victoria five years ago after working around Canada and the US. He has designed lower-emission vehicles and aircraft and has run mining, materials science, and transportation businesses. [Candidate page] [Campaign Facebook]

Ben Homer-Dixon – Green (9%, 26%, 20%)

Homer-Dixon is a UVic geography student who has delivered a TEDx Talk on climate inaction. He has done field research on local creeks, forests, and urban areas. [Candidate page]

Nikita Heurtier – PPC (2%, 2%, N/A)

Heurtier is a UVic grad and a kinesiologist in Victoria. [Candidate page currently inactive]

Robert Crooks – Communist (<1%, <1%, <1%)

Crooks ran in Victoria – Swan Lake last fall. He hails from Winnipeg, where he worked doing free arts programming for youth. [No candidate page so far]

Around the 'Shore

💻 Langford council votes to limit comments on official Facebook page, where city staff say comments of a violent or sexual nature are frequently left, leaving staff to spend more time on monitoring. A handful of residents at the council meeting spoke in favour of keeping comments open for community engagement, but councillors said there are other ways for the public to interact with the city without causing distress and work for staff. [Black Press]

🚨 Impairment suspected in motorcycle-sedan crash at West Shore Parkway and Kettle Lake Drive in Langford last weekend. The Colwood driver, 30, faces a court date and the motorcyclist sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. [RCMP]

🌶 Langford company seeks Island supplier of peppers: Island Chef Pepper Company wants to avoid using US goods when making its hot sauces, which require over 13 tonnes of peppers annually. [VicNews]

🐻 Grizzlies hockey series tied 2-2 heading back to Colwood: The club was on the brink of going up 3-1, but lost Game 4 in overtime, 0-1, while on the road in Coquitlam.

🔎 Missing teenager: Jaxsen Swain was last seen Tuesday around the 300 block of Wale Road. [Photo / description]

🏫 Attend an open house on April 24 or 25 to discover how Glenlyon Norfolk School empowers students to be curious, engaged and prepared for the future.*

*Sponsored Listing

Community Events

🏒 Grizzlies Game 5 is at 7pm on Friday. [Tickets]

⚽️ Pacific FC plays again on Sat. after last weekend's season-opening win earned them CPL Team of the Week honours. [Tickets]

👐 Beacon of Hope Town Hall on helping unhoused locals is this weekend (April 12) at Salvation Army’s Connection Point (737 Goldstream). [Info]

🥕 Free seminar on composting basics this Sat. in Langford. [Register]

🤝 Federal election local candidates meet & greets continue at Poncho's Cafe this Fri. & Sat. [Info]

🗳 Esquimalt – Saanich – Sooke candidates forum on Monday. [Info]

📚 Big Bargain Book Sale, Saturday, April 12 from 10am-4pm. Books $1-3. Gordon United Church Hall, 935 Goldstream Ave., Langford. To learn more or to donate books, call 250-478-6632.

📻 Live launch party for community radio outlet Sooke.Live on Sunday 1–4 pm at Café VOSINO.

🐇 Free Photos with the Easter Bunny: Fri., April 11-19 at Westshore Town Centre. Bring your own camera or phone; an attendant will be on hand to snap a family pic. [Info]

🎨 Echoes & Emblems student art show: Goldfinch Arts Centre (170 Goldfinch) in Colwood showcases work by Ecole Royal Bay Secondary students in Grades 9-12. April 17 to May 4.

🤖 Expert discussion on AI & the future at Royal Roads with author and evolutionary biologist Dan Riskin on May 3. [Event info]

🥳 Sookarama: A family-friendly event with 90 exhibitors presented by the District of Sooke and Sooke Lions Club. April 26 at SEAPARC. [Info]

What’s Offshore?

🚢  Off Colwood coast: ONE Majesty, a container ship built in 2010, sailing from Tacoma to Vancouver under a Marshall Islands flag 🇲🇭.

🚢 Further out: MSC Beatrice, a 2009-built container ship sailing Seattle to Vancouver under a Panama flag.

Westshore Snaps

In a springtime scene, an Anna's hummingbird samples a flowering red currant. Photo: Gary Woodburn

That’s it!

If you found something useful, consider forwarding this newsletter to another Westshore local.

And before you go, let us know: