It’s byelection day in Langford-Juan de Fuca and the polls are officially open for voting until 8 p.m.
At the noon hour, voting appears to be going smoothly at several Langford polling stations, with a steady stream of voters entering and emerging again after several minutes, and no visible lines outside the churches and schools welcoming voters.
“I think it’s important for everyone to vote. We are immigrants to Canada, and we followed the process of becoming citizens, so it’s especially important to us to cast our votes for the future of our new community,” said Matthew Rees after he and his family cast their votes at Happy Valley Elementary School.
Reese – who was voting for the first time in a provincial election since immigrating from South Africa – said as the father of a young child, the future of education, public transport, and housing were among the top issues for him this byelection.
Adam, 5, joined Reese and his wife Janine as they cast their votes, and while he may be a bit young to fully grasp the significance of the day, they still felt it was important for him to come along.
“We’re certainly invested in having him start young and realize he will also have the opportunity to decide the future of his community, his province, and his country.”
A total of 51,517 voters were registered to cast a ballot in the byelection as of May, according to Elections B.C., with 6,805 choosing to participate in advanced voting.
Five candidates are in the running to fill the seat last held by former premier John Horgan.
In alphabetical order, Camille Currie is running for the B.C. Green Party, Mike Harris for the B.C. Conservative Party, Elana Lawson under the B.C. United banner, Ravi Parmar for the B.C. NDP, and Tyson Riel Strandlund with the Communist Party of B.C.
Where to vote
The following polls are open for voting from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday (June 24):
SEAPARC Leisure Complex in Sooke
East Sooke Community Hall (1397 Copper Mine Rd.)
Happy Valley Elementary School (3291 Happy Valley Rd.)
Highlands Community Hall (729 Finlayson Arm Rd.)
Juan de Fuca Area Services Building (3-7450 Butler Rd.)
Port Renfrew Community Centre (6638 Deering Rd.)
Shirley Community Hall (2795 Sheringham Point Rd.)
The Forge Church (2612 Sooke Rd.)
Willway Elementary School (2939 Mt. Wells Dr.)
The district electoral office at 110-955 Reunion Ave. is also open for voting from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, go to elections.bc.ca.
READ MORE: Meet your Langford–Juan de Fuca byelection candidates
