MLA in Saanich North and the Islands · BC provincial 2026
Richard Smith
Centre BC candidate for MLA in Saanich North and the Islands. The party says he is a research scientist and project manager.
Richard Smith is the CentreBC candidate in Saanich North and the Islands. Rob Botterell of the BC Green Party won the district in 2024 with 12,308 votes (36.15 percent), and he is not running again. The party says Smith holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia, worked in immunology and biotechnology, and managed life science projects for Defence R&D Canada. His party page says he chose CentreBC because he agrees with its pragmatic and accountable way of governing. voche.me found no measure from him with a number, a cost or a date on 2026-10-01.
A researched record of Richard Smith’s candidacy in Saanich North and the Islands. Elections BC lists him with the affiliation CentreBC. His two positions here come from one paragraph on the party’s page about him, and neither names a measure, a number, a cost or a date.
On dates without a confirmed appearance the public schedule is unknown; the candidate may still have activities that day. This static page changes only when its research is updated.
01 / Introduction
About Richard Smith
Elections BC lists Richard Smith as the CentreBC candidate in Saanich North and the Islands. On the list stamped October 1, 2026 10:00:06 PM, the other accepted nominations in the district are Emily Lowan of the BC Green Party and Ryan Windsor of the Conservative Party. Nominations close at 1 p.m. on October 3, 2026, so more candidates may be added.
Rob Botterell of the BC Green Party won the district in 2024 with 12,308 votes (36.15 percent), according to Elections BC’s statement of votes. Sarah Riddell of the BC NDP received 10,958 votes (32.19 percent), David Busch of the Conservative Party 10,145 (29.80 percent) and Amy Haysom, an independent, 635 (1.87 percent). A search of that statement for the name Richard Smith found no match. The Times Colonist reported on 2026-09-23 that Botterell will not seek re-election and that BC Green leader Emily Lowan is running in the district.
The party’s page about him says he is a research scientist and project manager in immunology and microbiology. It says he earned a PhD at the University of British Columbia, held a post-doctoral fellowship from the United States National Institutes of Health at the Scripps laboratories in California, and then worked for a company that made diagnostic tests. It says this work led to more than 20 published scientific articles and more than 21 international patents.
The same page says he later managed life science projects for Defence R&D Canada and the Canadian Forces Health Services Group, led a NATO study group, and led a risk assessment team before the 2010 Olympic Games. It says he worked with the BC Ministry of Health and the other provinces and territories on a plan to lower the price of biologic drugs, and that he worked as a tracer and case manager with Island Health during COVID-19. It says he has been president of the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue station in Sidney and has volunteered on building and medical trips. These are the party’s statements. voche.me has not checked them with the university, the federal government, the ministry, Island Health or the rescue station.
The party page says he chose CentreBC because he agrees with its pragmatic and accountable way of governing, and that he hopes his scientific training will bring logic and rigour to how policies are made and carried out. It gives no measure, number, cost or date. voche.me has not contacted the campaign.
Published positions and selected commitments, separated by election cycle. Status labels describe the evidence reviewed, not a numerical score or a complete audit of the platform. Council approval is different from delivery.
2 commitments shown · Checked Oct 1
2026 · GovernanceCampaign pledge
Pragmatic and accountable government
The party’s page about him says he chose CentreBC because he agrees with its pragmatic and accountable philosophy of governing.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The page states an approach and names no change to legislature rules, reporting or ethics law. It gives no number, cost or date.
What still needs checking
Does he name a way the provincial government should account for its decisions, such as a reporting rule or a change to legislature practice?
voche.me found no elected office held by him in the sources read on 2026-10-01, so voche.me found no voting record to review. The career the party describes has no dates and has not been checked with the bodies that would know, so no dated action is listed.
No reviewed entries have been added to this section yet. This is a research gap, not a finding about the candidate.
Recent appearances / Read and watch
Talks, interviews & statements
Read original statements and reporting, or open the publisher’s video. A summary of a speech is labelled separately from a full recording.
No reviewed entries have been added to this section yet. This is a research gap, not a finding about the candidate.
Accountability / Findings, disputes and responses
Controversies & public scrutiny
Records are labelled by type, including official findings, civil proceedings and political disputes where applicable. Each entry identifies the response found in the sources and the latest status verified for this page.
No reviewed entries have been added to this section yet. This is a research gap, not a finding about the candidate.
News coverage / Original publishers
Read the reporting
A dated reading list from independent publishers. The headings below are voche.me summaries; follow each link for the original article, context and any corrections.
Reporting
Times Colonist
Times Colonist lists him among Vancouver Island candidates
A running list of candidates in each Vancouver Island district. When read on 2026-10-01, it named him as the CentreBC candidate in Saanich North and the Islands, beside Emily Lowan of the BC Green Party and Ryan Windsor of the Conservative Party. It gives no other detail about him.
Sources checked October 1, 2026. Official records establish decisions; campaign material establishes stated positions; reporting adds investigation and context. None alone establishes every claim.
No campaign website of his own, no social media account tied to this candidacy, and no interview, news report or statement from him as a candidate were found on 2026-10-01. His positions come from one paragraph on the party’s page, so his views on housing, health care, the cost of living, public safety, the economy, education, climate, Indigenous reconciliation, transportation and the provincial budget are unknown. The party has published no 2026 election platform: its policy page says its Policy Committee is still writing its first policy areas. The party’s statements about his career are unchecked: his PhD from the University of British Columbia, his National Institutes of Health fellowship, his articles and patents, his projects for Defence R&D Canada and the Canadian Forces Health Services Group, the NATO study group, the 2010 Olympic Games risk team, his part in the biologic drug pricing plan, his work with Island Health and his role as president of the marine rescue station in Sidney. The party page gives no dates for any of these. Richard Smith is a common name, and search results list other people with it. No page voche.me read ties any of them to this candidacy, so none of them is used. The party’s Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads and LinkedIn accounts need a sign-in and were not read. All-candidates meetings in the district, campaign finances and endorsements were not found on this date. Nominations close October 3, 2026, so other candidates may still be added. The questionnaire has not been sent.
Research status
What voche.me has checked
Evidence reviewed on 2026-10-01: the Elections BC candidate list and key dates page, the 2024 statement of votes, the CentreBC Our Team, policy and news pages, the party’s page about him, the party’s 100 newest public Bluesky posts, the Times Colonist list of Vancouver Island candidates and its report on the district of 2026-09-23, two Peninsula News Review reports and a CHEK News list, the BC Ballot page for the district, and web searches for his name with the district, the party, 2026, MLA and the roles the party names.
His positions on this page come from one paragraph on the party’s page about him. No campaign website of his own, no social media account tied to this candidacy and no interview with him as a candidate were found. The party’s statements about his career have not been checked with the bodies that would know. An empty section records what voche.me did not find on this date.
03 / Background
Experience & community
Dates not given
Research scientist in immunology and microbiology
The party says he holds a PhD from the University of British Columbia, held a National Institutes of Health post-doctoral fellowship at the Scripps laboratories, and worked for a company that made diagnostic tests. voche.me has not checked these with the university or the institutions named.
The party says he managed life science projects for Defence R&D Canada and the Canadian Forces Health Services Group, led a NATO study group, and led a risk assessment team before the 2010 Olympic Games. voche.me has not checked these with a federal record.
The party says he took part in a group of all provinces and territories, with the BC Ministry of Health, that wrote a plan to lower the cost of biologic drugs. voche.me has not checked his role with the ministry.
The party page says he served as a “contract tracer” and case manager with Island Health during COVID-19. voche.me has not checked it with Island Health.
Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
Which change to how the provincial government reports its results would you ask for first?
No response has been submitted.
You worked on lowering the price of biologic drugs. What health care measure would you support for Saanich North and the Islands, and what would it cost?
No response has been submitted.
What would you do about BC Ferries service for the islands in this district?
No response has been submitted.
Have your own question?
Ask Richard Smith directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
05 / About this page
Questions about this page
Facts voche.me can state about Richard Smith's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Is this an official page for Richard Smith?
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Richard Smith's own campaign.
What party is Richard Smith running with?
Richard Smith is running for MLA with Centre BC.
Does Richard Smith currently hold public office?
Not according to this profile. voche.me has not listed a current public office for Richard Smith.
How many sources does this Richard Smith profile cite?
This profile lists 6 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Why do some questions on Richard Smith's page show no answer?
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Richard Smith in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
When is the election Richard Smith is running in?
The 2026 British Columbia election, including the MLA race, is decided on October 24, 2026.
06 / Candidate contributions
Space for campaign updates
No campaign updates yet
Announcements, event details and messages can be added here, with their source and publication date. No campaign submission has been added.
