--- title: "Richard Zussman: candidate for MLA in Saanich South, BC provincial 2026 | voche.me" canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/richard-zussman" last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:04:45.764Z" meta: description: "Richard Zussman is the BC NDP candidate in Saanich South, the seat Lana Popham held for the BC NDP and is leaving. He reported on the legislature for CBC a..." "og:description": "Richard Zussman is the BC NDP candidate in Saanich South, the seat Lana Popham held for the BC NDP and is leaving. He reported on the legislature for CBC a..." "og:title": "Richard Zussman: candidate for MLA in Saanich South, BC provincial 2026" "twitter:description": "Richard Zussman is the BC NDP candidate in Saanich South, the seat Lana Popham held for the BC NDP and is leaving. He reported on the legislature for CBC a..." "twitter:title": "Richard Zussman: candidate for MLA in Saanich South, BC provincial 2026" --- ** MLA in Saanich South · BC provincial 2026 # Richard Zussman BC NDP candidate for MLA in Saanich South, and a former legislative reporter for Global BC and CBC. Richard Zussman is the BC NDP candidate in Saanich South, the seat Lana Popham held for the BC NDP and is leaving. He reported on the legislature for CBC and then Global BC, and in November 2025 joined the public relations firm Burson as a vice-president of public affairs. He has not held elected office. In his campaign launch he said he backs the party's plan on jobs, homes, health care workers and farmers, without his own numbers or dates. Explore the record Public schedule Researched by voche.me · Not a campaign-authored page BC NDP2026 ![Richard Zussman, from his BC NDP campaign site.](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/images/candidates/richard-zussman-640.webp) *Richard ZussmanMLAv.* [Image: BC NDP campaign](https://richardzussman.bcndp.ca/) Candidate research / September 30, 2026 A researched record of what Richard Zussman has said as the BC NDP candidate in Saanich South, with the coverage of his candidacy. voche.me found no elected office in his record, so it found no voting record to review. **8**Commitments **7**News articles **16**Sources Public schedule / Through election day ## Where can you hear Richard Zussman? No public appearance by the candidate was confirmed on 2026-09-30. The two voting dates come from Elections BC. Checked September 30, 2026 · All event times are Pacific time. Recheck the organizer before travelling. - [2026 provincial election: key dates](https://elections.bc.ca/2026-provincial-election/)Official record · Elections BC
View every date through Oct 24 1. Oct 9No appearance confirmed 2. Oct 10No appearance confirmed 3. Oct 11No appearance confirmed 4. Oct 12No appearance confirmed 5. Oct 13No appearance confirmed 6. Oct 14No appearance confirmed 7. Oct 15No appearance confirmed 8. Oct 16Voting day 9. Oct 17No appearance confirmed 10. Oct 18No appearance confirmed 11. Oct 19No appearance confirmed 12. Oct 20No appearance confirmed 13. Oct 21No appearance confirmed 14. Oct 22No appearance confirmed 15. Oct 23No appearance confirmed 16. Oct 24Voting day
### Voting dates - Oct 16Advance voting opens - Oct 24Final Voting Day At official British Columbia voting places. These dates apply to every voter and are not candidate appearances. [Find your voting place](https://elections.bc.ca/2026-provincial-election/where-to-vote/) - [2026 provincial election: key dates](https://elections.bc.ca/2026-provincial-election/)Official record · Elections BC 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 Zussman Elections BC lists Richard Zussman as the BC NDP candidate in Saanich South. The party announced his candidacy on September 23, 2026, two days after Lana Popham said she would not seek a sixth term, according to the Times Colonist. In 2024 Popham won the district for the BC NDP with 15,338 votes (49.76 percent), ahead of Conservative Adam Kubel with 10,003 (32.45 percent) and Green Ned Taylor with 5,485 (17.79 percent), according to Elections BC's statement of votes. Zussman was not a candidate in 2024. Daily Hive reports that he was a provincial affairs reporter for CBC BC before he joined Global BC, where he was the legislative reporter for eight years and president of the B.C. Legislative Press Gallery for six. He left Global in November 2025 and joined Burson, a public relations firm, as vice-president of public affairs, according to Daily Hive. The Times Colonist and the Western Standard report that he co-wrote A Matter of Confidence, a 2018 book with Rob Shaw on the fall of Christy Clark's BC Liberal government. The party's announcement, as printed by Saanich News, calls him a six-time Jack Webster Award recipient. voche.me has not checked the award count with the Jack Webster Foundation. The Lakehill Baseball and Fastball Association lists him as its Governance and Policy Director. His campaign site says he also serves on the board of the Victoria Curling Club and was Lieutenant Governor of the B.C. Youth Parliament. voche.me has not contacted the campaign. [Former BC chief coroner Lisa Lapointe named BC Green candidate in Saanich South ](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/lisa-lapointe-bc-greens-saanich-south-2026) Read the sources Promises / Commitments and evidence ## Commitments and the available evidence. 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. 8 commitments shown · Checked Sep 30 2026 · EconomyCampaign pledge ### Protect and create good jobs Said he is joining the BC NDP to protect and create good jobs.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Saanich News reports this in its own words from his launch statement, and the Times Colonist reports the same goal. Neither source gives a number of jobs, a measure, a cost or a date.
What still needs checking
Which provincial measures would he back to create jobs in Saanich South?
- [Former reporter Richard Zussman running for NDP in Saanich South](https://saanichnews.com/2026/09/23/former-reporter-richard-zussman-running-for-ndp-in-saanich-south/)Reporting · Saanich News - [Ex-TV reporter, airport authority chair make bid for Popham's long-held seat](https://www.timescolonist.com/2026-bc-votes/ex-tv-reporter-airport-authority-chair-make-bid-for-pophams-long-held-seat-12816164)Reporting · Times Colonist · Cindy E. Harnett 2026 · EconomyCampaign pledge ### Open new markets beyond the United States Said the BC NDP will support workers and businesses and open new markets beyond the United States.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He said this on September 23, 2026 in the party's release announcing his candidacy, as quoted by Saanich News. He names no market, trade measure, cost or date.
What still needs checking
Which markets, and what provincial program would open them?
- [Former reporter Richard Zussman running for NDP in Saanich South](https://saanichnews.com/2026/09/23/former-reporter-richard-zussman-running-for-ndp-in-saanich-south/)Reporting · Saanich News - [Former legislative reporter Richard Zussman is running for BC NDP](https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/former-reporter-richard-zussman-bc-ndp)Reporting · Daily Hive · Hanna Hett 2026 · EconomyCampaign pledge ### Support farmers and agriculture Said he is joining the party's campaign to support farmers and the agriculture industry.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Saanich News reports this in its own words from his launch statement, and the Times Colonist reports the same goal. Neither source names a program, an amount or a date.
What still needs checking
What support for farmers would he ask the Province to fund?
- [Former reporter Richard Zussman running for NDP in Saanich South](https://saanichnews.com/2026/09/23/former-reporter-richard-zussman-running-for-ndp-in-saanich-south/)Reporting · Saanich News - [Ex-TV reporter, airport authority chair make bid for Popham's long-held seat](https://www.timescolonist.com/2026-bc-votes/ex-tv-reporter-airport-authority-chair-make-bid-for-pophams-long-held-seat-12816164)Reporting · Times Colonist · Cindy E. Harnett 2026 · HousingCampaign pledge ### Build more homes Said he is joining the party's campaign to build more homes.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Saanich News reports this in its own words from his launch statement, and the Times Colonist reports the same goal. Neither source gives a number of homes, a place, a cost or a date.
What still needs checking
How many homes in Saanich South, and through which provincial program?
- [Former reporter Richard Zussman running for NDP in Saanich South](https://saanichnews.com/2026/09/23/former-reporter-richard-zussman-running-for-ndp-in-saanich-south/)Reporting · Saanich News - [Ex-TV reporter, airport authority chair make bid for Popham's long-held seat](https://www.timescolonist.com/2026-bc-votes/ex-tv-reporter-airport-authority-chair-make-bid-for-pophams-long-held-seat-12816164)Reporting · Times Colonist · Cindy E. Harnett 2026 · Public servicesCampaign pledge ### Recruit more health care workers Said he is joining the party's campaign to recruit more health care workers, and that the party will strengthen health care.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Saanich News reports the recruiting goal in its own words, and quotes his release on strengthening health care. Neither source gives a number of workers, a cost or a date.
What still needs checking
How many workers, in which jobs, and by when?
- [Former reporter Richard Zussman running for NDP in Saanich South](https://saanichnews.com/2026/09/23/former-reporter-richard-zussman-running-for-ndp-in-saanich-south/)Reporting · Saanich News - [Ex-TV reporter, airport authority chair make bid for Popham's long-held seat](https://www.timescolonist.com/2026-bc-votes/ex-tv-reporter-airport-authority-chair-make-bid-for-pophams-long-held-seat-12816164)Reporting · Times Colonist · Cindy E. Harnett 2026 · HousingCampaign pledge ### Bring down costs Said the BC NDP will bring down costs for people.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
He said this on September 23, 2026 in the party's release announcing his candidacy, as quoted by Saanich News. He names no price, rebate, fee or date.
What still needs checking
Which costs would come down, by how much, and through which measure?
- [Former reporter Richard Zussman running for NDP in Saanich South](https://saanichnews.com/2026/09/23/former-reporter-richard-zussman-running-for-ndp-in-saanich-south/)Reporting · Saanich News - [Former legislative reporter Richard Zussman is running for BC NDP](https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/former-reporter-richard-zussman-bc-ndp)Reporting · Daily Hive · Hanna Hett 2026 · Public safetyCampaign pledge ### BC NDP public safety position The BC NDP platform page lists keeping people safe and communities strong as one of its six headings. The page does not name Zussman.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text. voche.me found no statement by Zussman on public safety in 2026.
What still needs checking
Does Zussman speak on public safety during the campaign?
- [Taking action for you: platform page](https://www.bcndp.ca/action-for-you)Campaign · BC NDP - [Richard Zussman campaign site](https://richardzussman.bcndp.ca/)Campaign · BC NDP 2026 · ClimateCampaign pledge ### BC NDP climate position The BC NDP platform page lists protecting people from climate impacts as one of its six headings. The page does not name Zussman.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text. voche.me found no statement by Zussman on climate in 2026.
What still needs checking
Does Zussman speak on climate during the campaign?
- [Taking action for you: platform page](https://www.bcndp.ca/action-for-you)Campaign · BC NDP - [Richard Zussman campaign site](https://richardzussman.bcndp.ca/)Campaign · BC NDP City programs / Scope and delivery ## Policies, budgets & programs His past roles come from reporting and from a community group's own page. None is a public office, so no entry earns the record point. 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. Nov 25Statement ### Statement on joining Burson Daily Hive quotes the firm's release, in which he says he will use his knowledge of politics to help organizations reach their advocacy goals. This is earlier material and is not a 2026 commitment. - [Former Global News reporter Richard Zussman announces his next move](https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/global-news-richard-zussman-next-move)Reporting · Daily Hive Sep 23Statement ### Candidacy announcement In the party's release, quoted by Saanich News, Daily Hive and the Western Standard, he said the US trade war is threatening jobs and that the BC NDP will support workers and businesses, open new markets, bring down costs and strengthen health care. - [Former reporter Richard Zussman running for NDP in Saanich South](https://saanichnews.com/2026/09/23/former-reporter-richard-zussman-running-for-ndp-in-saanich-south/)Reporting · Saanich News - [Former legislative reporter Richard Zussman is running for BC NDP](https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/former-reporter-richard-zussman-bc-ndp)Reporting · Daily Hive · Hanna Hett - [Day 3 of the BC election](https://www.westernstandard.news/bc/day-3-of-the-bc-election-poll-shows-ndp-only-lead-by-four-points/77289)Reporting · Western Standard Sep 23Statement ### Post announcing his candidacy On X he wrote that it is an honour to be the BC NDP candidate in Saanich South. - [Richard Zussman on X](https://x.com/richardzussman)Campaign · Richard Zussman - [Day 3 of the BC election](https://www.westernstandard.news/bc/day-3-of-the-bc-election-poll-shows-ndp-only-lead-by-four-points/77289)Reporting · Western Standard Sep 27Statement ### Post on the Conservative leadership On X he questioned who will lead the BC Conservatives after the election, pointing to the party's four leaders in ten months. - [Richard Zussman on X](https://x.com/richardzussman)Campaign · Richard Zussman Sep 29Statement ### Post on a Conservative tax promise On X he wrote that Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson did not say what his tax promise would cost, and said lower revenue with a smaller deficit would mean cuts to health care. - [Richard Zussman on X](https://x.com/richardzussman)Campaign · Richard Zussman 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. September 23, 2026Reporting Saanich News ### Former reporter running for the NDP in Saanich South Reports his candidacy and quotes his release and BC NDP Leader David Eby. - [Former reporter Richard Zussman running for NDP in Saanich South](https://saanichnews.com/2026/09/23/former-reporter-richard-zussman-running-for-ndp-in-saanich-south/)Reporting · Saanich News September 23, 2026Reporting Times Colonist · Cindy E. Harnett ### Zussman and Ounsted bid for Popham's seat Reports his candidacy and Cathie Ounsted's bid for the Conservative nomination in the same district. - [Ex-TV reporter, airport authority chair make bid for Popham's long-held seat](https://www.timescolonist.com/2026-bc-votes/ex-tv-reporter-airport-authority-chair-make-bid-for-pophams-long-held-seat-12816164)Reporting · Times Colonist · Cindy E. Harnett September 23, 2026Reporting Daily Hive · Hanna Hett ### Former legislative reporter running for the BC NDP Reports his candidacy, his career at CBC and Global, and his move to Burson. - [Former legislative reporter Richard Zussman is running for BC NDP](https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/former-reporter-richard-zussman-bc-ndp)Reporting · Daily Hive · Hanna Hett September 23, 2026Reporting The Globe and Mail ### The big B.C. reshuffle Names him as the NDP candidate in Saanich South in a report on candidate changes across the province. - [The big B.C. reshuffle continues ahead of snap election](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/british-columbia/article-ndp-conservatives-reshuffle-october-snap-election/)Reporting · The Globe and Mail · Andrea Woo and Mike Hager September 23, 2026Reporting The Canadian Press ### Who's in and who's out Lists his candidacy and calls him a legislative journalist turned communications executive. - [Who's in and who's out as candidates in B.C.'s snap election?](https://vernonmatters.ca/2026/09/23/whos-in-and-whos-out-as-candidates-in-b-c-s-snap-election/)Reporting · The Canadian Press, on Vernon Matters September 23, 2026Reporting CHEK News ### Who is running on Vancouver Island Lists him as the NDP candidate in Saanich South. - [Who we know is running provincially on Vancouver Island so far](https://cheknews.ca/who-we-know-is-running-provincially-on-vancouver-island-so-far-1349693/)Reporting · CHEK News · Laura Brougham September 24, 2026Reporting Western Standard ### Day 3 of the campaign Campaign diary that reports his announcement and the replies to his post on X. - [Day 3 of the BC election](https://www.westernstandard.news/bc/day-3-of-the-bc-election-poll-shows-ndp-only-lead-by-four-points/77289)Reporting · Western Standard Research / 16 linked sources ## Check the evidence Sources checked September 30, 2026. Official records establish decisions; campaign material establishes stated positions; reporting adds investigation and context. None alone establishes every claim.
Official record 4 sources - Provincial candidate list Elections BC - 2026 provincial election: key dates Elections BC - Statement of Votes, 2024 provincial general election Elections BC - Executive Team Lakehill Baseball and Fastball Association
Campaign 4 sources - Richard Zussman campaign site BC NDP - Media releases page BC NDP - Taking action for you: platform page BC NDP - Richard Zussman on X Richard Zussman
Reporting 8 sources - Former reporter Richard Zussman running for NDP in Saanich South Saanich News · September 23, 2026 - Ex-TV reporter, airport authority chair make bid for Popham's long-held seat Times Colonist · Cindy E. Harnett · September 23, 2026 - Former legislative reporter Richard Zussman is running for BC NDP Daily Hive · Hanna Hett · September 23, 2026 - The big B.C. reshuffle continues ahead of snap election The Globe and Mail · Andrea Woo and Mike Hager · September 23, 2026 - Day 3 of the BC election Western Standard - Who's in and who's out as candidates in B.C.'s snap election? The Canadian Press, on Vernon Matters · September 23, 2026 - Who we know is running provincially on Vancouver Island so far CHEK News · Laura Brougham · September 23, 2026 - Former Global News reporter Richard Zussman announces his next move Daily Hive · November 25, 2025
His commitments come from one launch statement, quoted in reporting; voche.me did not find the party's release itself on the BC NDP releases page, which lists 12 recent releases and none naming him. Business in Vancouver, Castanet and the Business Examiner returned HTTP 403, so their copies of his launch reporting were not read. His Instagram and Facebook pages showed only a sign-in page, so nothing from them is used; his X profile showed his pinned post and three recent posts only. The Victoria Curling Club lists its board in an image with no text, so his seat on that board is stated by his campaign and by reporting, and was not checked on the club's page. His six Jack Webster Awards, his role as Lieutenant Governor of the B.C. Youth Parliament were not checked with the bodies that would know, so they appear as his campaign's claims. Whether he still works at Burson during the campaign was not found. All-candidates meetings in Saanich South, campaign finances and endorsements were not found on this date. Research status ## What voche.me has checked Evidence reviewed on 2026-09-30: the Elections BC candidate list, the 2024 statement of votes, his BC NDP campaign site, the party's platform and releases pages, his public X profile, the Lakehill Baseball and Fastball Association's executive list, and reporting from the Times Colonist, Saanich News, Daily Hive, The Globe and Mail, the Western Standard, The Canadian Press and CHEK News. His commitments on this page come from his campaign launch statement as quoted in reporting. They name the party's goals and give no number, cost or date of his own. voche.me found no elected office in his record, so it found no voting record to review. An empty section records what voche.me did not find on this date. 03 / Background ## Experience & community November 2025 ### Vice-president of public affairs, Burson Joined the public relations firm after leaving Global News, according to Daily Hive, which quotes the firm's release. [Daily Hive](https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/global-news-richard-zussman-next-move) Eight years, to November 2025 ### Legislative reporter, Global BC Daily Hive reports he was Global's legislative reporter for eight years and president of the B.C. Legislative Press Gallery for six. [Daily Hive](https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/global-news-richard-zussman-next-move) Before Global BC ### Provincial affairs reporter, CBC BC Reported by Daily Hive. [Daily Hive](https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/former-reporter-richard-zussman-bc-ndp) 2018 ### Co-author, A Matter of Confidence A book with Rob Shaw on the fall of Christy Clark's BC Liberal government, according to the Times Colonist and the Western Standard. [Times Colonist](https://www.timescolonist.com/2026-bc-votes/ex-tv-reporter-airport-authority-chair-make-bid-for-pophams-long-held-seat-12816164) Current ### Governance and Policy Director, Lakehill Baseball and Fastball Association Listed on the association's executive page. His campaign site also says he serves on the board of the Victoria Curling Club. [Lakehill executive page](https://lakehillball.com/executive/) 04 / Questions & answers ## Questions for the candidate Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
How many health care workers should the Province recruit for the Saanich South area, and by when? No response has been submitted.
What would you do in your first term to support farmers in Saanich South? No response has been submitted.
How will you deal with clients you advised at Burson if you are elected? No response has been submitted.
### Have your own question? Ask Richard Zussman 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 Zussman's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Is this an official page for Richard Zussman? No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Richard Zussman's own campaign.
What party is Richard Zussman running with? Richard Zussman is running for MLA with BC NDP.
Does Richard Zussman currently hold public office? Not according to this profile. voche.me has not listed a current public office for Richard Zussman.
How many sources does this Richard Zussman profile cite? This profile lists 8 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Why do some questions on Richard Zussman's page show no answer? The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Richard Zussman 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 Zussman 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. ## Sources & transparency - [Elections BC · provincial candidate list ](https://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/fin/GE-2026-10-24-Candidate-Website-Report.PDF)Checked September 30, 2026 - [BC NDP · campaign site ](https://richardzussman.bcndp.ca/)Checked September 30, 2026 - [Times Colonist · candidacy report ](https://www.timescolonist.com/2026-bc-votes/ex-tv-reporter-airport-authority-chair-make-bid-for-pophams-long-held-seat-12816164)Checked September 30, 2026 - [Saanich News · candidacy report ](https://saanichnews.com/2026/09/23/former-reporter-richard-zussman-running-for-ndp-in-saanich-south/)Checked September 30, 2026 - [Daily Hive · move to Burson ](https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/global-news-richard-zussman-next-move)Checked September 30, 2026 - [Richard Zussman · Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/richard.zussman.9)Checked October 2, 2026 - [Richard Zussman · Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/richardzussman/)Checked October 2, 2026 - [Richard Zussman · X ](https://x.com/richardzussman)Checked October 2, 2026 Missing information does not imply a candidate’s position. [Read our editorial standards.](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/about) Campaign contact ## Campaign links & contact. Find the candidate’s website, social accounts and contact information. [Campaign site](https://richardzussman.bcndp.ca/) [X](https://x.com/richardzussman) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/richard.zussman.9) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/richardzussman/) ## View more candidates. [All candidate spaces ](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/candidates) [MLA**A'aliya Warbus**](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/a-aliya-warbus) [MLA**Abraham Nordine**](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/abraham-nordine) Candidate Q&A ## Ask Richard Zussman a question. Give your name, email and question. We send it to the campaign, and publish their answer here if we get one. ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.