--- title: "Saanich South: candidates, history and census, BC provincial 2026 | voche.me" canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/races/mla/saanich-south" last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:05:27.707Z" meta: description: "3 candidates in Saanich South for the BC provincial 2026 election. The history of the area, every result since 2005, past MLAs and the 2021 census profile." "og:description": "3 candidates in Saanich South for the BC provincial 2026 election. The history of the area, every result since 2005, past MLAs and the 2021 census profile." "og:title": "Saanich South: candidates, history and census, BC provincial 2026" "twitter:description": "3 candidates in Saanich South for the BC provincial 2026 election. The history of the area, every result since 2005, past MLAs and the 2021 census profile." "twitter:title": "Saanich South: candidates, history and census, BC provincial 2026" --- ** MLA · BC PROVINCIAL 2026 # Saanich South.
3 candidates, one seat. This district elects one MLA. Voters mark one name on Saturday, October 24, 2026, and the candidate with the most votes wins the seat. Saanich South is a provincial electoral district in Greater Victoria on southern Vancouver Island. It takes in the Saanich neighbourhoods of Royal Oak, Cordova Bay and Prospect Lake, and the Keating neighbourhood of Central Saanich east of Oldfield Road. The 2021 census counted 58,680 people, with a median age of 47.6 against 42.8 for British Columbia, and the Electoral Boundaries Commission gives the area as 105 square kilometres. ## The candidates In alphabetical order [![Cathie Ounsted, from the Conservative Party of BC candidate page.](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/images/candidates/cathie-ounsted-640.webp)MLA · Saanich South**Conservative Party of BC**

Cathie Ounsted

Researched by voche.meExplore the profile ](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/cathie-ounsted) [![Lisa Lapointe, from the BC Green Party candidate page.](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/images/candidates/lisa-lapointe-640.webp)MLA · Saanich South**BC Green Party**

Lisa Lapointe

Researched by voche.meExplore the profile ](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/lisa-lapointe) [![Richard Zussman, from his BC NDP campaign site.](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/images/candidates/richard-zussman-640.webp)MLA · Saanich South**BC NDP**

Richard Zussman

Researched by voche.meExplore the profile ](https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/richard-zussman)
People, 2021 census
58,680
Area
105 km²
Registered voters, 2024
45,655
Turnout, 2024
67.62%
Median age
47.6
Median household income, 2020
$103,000
THE DISTRICT ## Where Saanich South is 105 km² · 58,680 people Saanich South lies on the Saanich Peninsula, north of the City of Victoria. The Electoral Boundaries Commission's 2023 final report says the district includes the neighbourhoods of Royal Oak, Cordova Bay and Prospect Lake and follows the municipal boundaries of the District of Saanich in the south, east and west. In the north it extends to the boundary of the Tsawout First Nation reserve, East Saanich 2, and takes in the Keating neighbourhood of the District of Central Saanich east of Oldfield Road. The commission gives the district an area of 105 square kilometres, a population of 58,671 and a deviation of 9.1% from the average. Lakes and regional parks are among the main features of the district. BC Geographical Names places Elk Lake west of Cordova Bay on the Saanich Peninsula and Beaver Lake at the south end of Elk Lake. The Capital Regional District gives Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park an area of 442.77 hectares along the Patricia Bay Highway and Bear Hill Regional Park an area of 48.56 hectares on Bear Hill Road. The commission's map of the district also labels Prospect Lake, Maltby Lake, Mount Douglas Park, Francis/King Regional Park, Colquitz and Marigold. Highway 17, the Patricia Bay Highway, runs north and south through the district. The April 2024 rider's guide of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission lists a Royal Oak Exchange served by route 6 to Downtown, routes 30 and 31, route 32 to Cordova Bay, route 39 to Westhills Exchange, Interurban and UVic, route 75 to Saanichton Exchange and route 83 to Sidney and Brentwood. Route 8 runs between Interurban, Tillicum Centre and Oak Bay. The Capital Regional District describes the Lochside Regional Trail as a 29 kilometre trail from Swartz Bay to Victoria that used to be a railway line. Elections BC's results file for 2024 lists 18 places where people voted inside the district, among them the Camosun College Interurban Campus, Claremont Sec School, Cordova Bay Elem School, Keating Elem School, Prospect Lake Elem School and the Willis Point Comm Centre. - Royal Oak - Broadmead - Cordova Bay - Prospect Lake - Keating - Beaver Lake - Colquitz - Marigold - Strawberry Vale - Lake Hill - Willis Point Sources: [British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf), [Capital Regional District (opens in a new tab)](https://www.crd.ca/parks-recreation/find-park-or-trail/elkbeaver-lake-regional-park), [Capital Regional District (opens in a new tab)](https://www.crd.ca/parks-recreation/find-park-or-trail/bear-hill-regional-park), [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/9457.html), [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/2804.html), [BC Transit (opens in a new tab)](https://www.bctransit.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8728_VIC_RG-04-15-24-WEB.pdf), [Capital Regional District (opens in a new tab)](https://www.crd.ca/parks-recreation/find-park-or-trail/lochside-regional-trail), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935) HISTORY ## The history of the area Checked Thursday, October 8, 2026 ### W̱SÁNEĆ and Lək̓ʷəŋən territory Saanich Archives writes that the District of Saanich lies within the traditional territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and SENĆOŦEN speaking peoples, and that evidence of First Nations settlement in the area dates back over 4,000 years. It names two Lək̓ʷəŋən nations, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, and five W̱SÁNEĆ nations: W̱JOȽEȽP (Tsartlip), BOḰEĆEN (Pauquachin), SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout), W̱SIḴEM (Tseycum) and MÁLEXEȽ (Malahat). The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council says the W̱SÁNEĆ People are Salt Water People and that on the Saanich Peninsula their land went south as far as PKOLS (Mount Douglas). SȾÁUTW̱ First Nation says it is one of five communities that make up the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation. It describes its main village, East Saanich IR No. 2, as lying on the east side of the Saanich Peninsula and reached by the Pat Bay Highway, and it lists single family homes, band administration and commercial buildings on the reserve. The Cordova Bay local area plan of the District of Saanich says the people of the village ȾEL,IȽĆE, written c̓əlíɫč in the Lək̓ʷəŋən language, used Cordova Bay intensively over at least the past 1,000 years. The plan lists hunting, camas harvesting and medicine gathering in what is now Sunnymead and the Ridge, a fish trap, and harvesting of food from the shore along the beach and sandbar toward PKOLS. A Saanich board on Indigenous history in Cordova Bay credits Dr. Brian Thom of the University of Victoria. It reports that salvage excavations in 2008 beside Agate Lane Park found over 40 ancient hearths and cache pits and uncovered over 350 artifacts, with radiocarbon dates of 1065 to 1470 AD. Sources: [Saanich Archives (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Parks~Recreation~and~Community~Services/Documents/Archives~Collections~and~Research/Royal%20Oak%20timeline.pdf), [W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (opens in a new tab)](https://wsanec.com/history-territory/), [SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout) First Nation (opens in a new tab)](https://stautw.ca/about-tsawout/), [District of Saanich (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Community/Documents/Planning/LAP~Updates/LAP-Cordova-Bay-web.pdf), [District of Saanich (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Community/Documents/Planning/LAP~Updates/Cordova%20Bay%20LAP%20Indigenous%20History%20December%202018%2048x36.pdf) ### The 1852 treaties and the first farms, 1852 to 1885 Saanich Archives records that between 1850 and 1854 James Douglas, Chief Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company, signed treaties with 14 Indigenous groups. The treaty that covers Royal Oak was signed by the South Saanich and by the Kosampson, whose main settlement was around Craigflower Park on Admirals Road. The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council says W̱SÁNEĆ people met Douglas at PKOLS in 1852 to discuss the treaty. The District of Central Saanich writes that W̱SÁNEĆ oral history describes the treaties as a new beginning and says W̱SÁNEĆ people did not sell their land. The District lists among the earlier disputes the W̱SÁNEĆ effort to stop timber cutting by Douglas near ȾEL,IȽĆE (Cordova Bay). Settlers followed. Saanich Archives says Richard Cheeseman acquired land in the Lake District in 1858 and that his wife Jane is said to have named the area Royal Oak after a large oak tree. The first Royal Oak School was built in 1865 on land donated by the Bailey family. St. Michael and All Angels Anglican Church was dedicated on September 24, 1883. A fire destroyed the school building after a dance that year, and a new school costing $500 opened in 1885. The Cordova Bay plan says 1858 was the first year of Crown land sales on the peninsula, when 400 hectares between Elk/Beaver Lake and Cordova Bay were sold, and that the first permanent European settlers came to Cordova Bay in the 1880s. Sources: [Saanich Archives (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Parks~Recreation~and~Community~Services/Documents/Archives~Collections~and~Research/Royal%20Oak%20timeline.pdf), [W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (opens in a new tab)](https://wsanec.com/pkols-mount-douglas-park-restored-as-new-official-name-of-mount-douglas-park), [District of Central Saanich (opens in a new tab)](https://www.centralsaanich.ca/node/41), [District of Saanich (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Community/Documents/Planning/LAP~Updates/LAP-Cordova-Bay-web.pdf) ### Railways, a municipal hall and a community hall, 1895 to 1930 Saanich's walking tour booklet for Prospect Lake says the Victoria and Sidney Railway ran Sunday trains for fishermen and cottage owners from 1895, and that the BC Electric Railway set up the Interurban line in the area in 1913, with several stations. Saanich Place Names says Marigold took its name from a station on the Interurban line at Marigold Avenue. It says Keating Station began at Royal Oak behind the Municipal Hall and was hauled down the track to Keating, and that Keating Cross Road is named after a Mr. Keating who owned land on the Victoria and Sidney line. Saanich Archives writes that the District of Saanich was first incorporated on March 1, 1906, and that Thomas Brydon was its first Reeve, from 1906 to 1907. Council met in residents' homes at first and then in a converted farmhouse. In 1911 the district built a second Municipal Hall at 4512 West Saanich Road in Royal Oak, designed by John Charles Malcolm Keith and built for $4,364. Municipal offices moved to Vernon Avenue in 1965. The Royal Oak Community Hall was built the same year, 1911, with donated labour and funds. The Royal Oak Women's Institute bought it in 1930 for $1500, and it received heritage designation in 1979. Sources: [District of Saanich (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Parks~Recreation~and~Community~Services/Documents/Prospect%20Lake%20Walking%20Tour%202014%20Complete%20Web.pdf), [Saanich Archives (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Parks~Recreation~and~Community~Services/Documents/Archives~Collections~and~Research/Category~8/Saanich%20Place%20Names.pdf), [Saanich Archives (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Parks~Recreation~and~Community~Services/Documents/Archives~Collections~and~Research/Royal%20Oak%20timeline.pdf) ### Broadmead Farm and Royal Oak, 1890 to 1994 Saanich Archives says R.P. Rithet owned Broadmead Farm from the 1890s and that it once spread over 825 acres. The farm was named after Rithet's racehorse, the stallion Broadmead. Under the foreman George McMorran, clearing with oxen, horses and explosives enlarged the workable area, and the farm became one of the largest grain suppliers on Vancouver Island. After Rithet died in 1919 his land was placed in a company called Rithet Consolidated. A plan by the planner Gordon Rolston was accepted, and the first houses of the Broadmead Estates were built between 1965 and 1967. Royal Oak Burial Park opened in 1923 as a public cemetery funded by the municipalities of Saanich and Victoria. The Royal Oak Inn opened as an English style tearoom on May 30, 1939, and John and Katharine Maltwood later bought it. John Maltwood donated it to the University of Victoria in 1964, and the university ran it as the Maltwood Museum until 1981. The Archives says construction of the Patricia Bay Highway in the early 1950s linked the farmland of the peninsula to the rest of Saanich and to Victoria. Saanich Commonwealth Place was completed in November 1993 at a cost of $22 million, and its pool hosted the aquatic events of the Commonwealth Games, which the Times Colonist dates to August 18 to 28, 1994. Sources: [Saanich Archives (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Parks~Recreation~and~Community~Services/Documents/Archives~Collections~and~Research/Royal%20Oak%20timeline.pdf), [Times Colonist (opens in a new tab)](https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/victorias-games-25-years-later-could-they-happen-today-4675225) ### Cordova Bay: a name, a tearoom and a local area plan, 1790 to 2022 BC Geographical Names records that the Spanish officer Manuel Quimper named Esquimalt Harbour Puerto de Cordova on 30 June 1790, and that officers of the Hudson's Bay Company moved the name to its present place circa 1842. Captain Kellet charted the bay as Cormorant Bay in 1846. The Geographic Board of Canada adopted Cordova Bay on 30 June 1910 after a proposal from Captain John Walbran. The Cordova Bay plan says the Canadian National Railway laid tracks along what is now Lochside Drive in 1912, with a station at Haliburton Road. George McMorran opened the first grocery store in the village in 1911, then a tearoom and a dance pavilion. In 1928 he built a 14 unit auto court, and by the 1930s he rented 72 summer cabins. Bill Mattick began farming in 1940, opened a roadside stand in 1958 and developed a nine hole golf course in 1962. The plan describes a mix of farmland, single family homes and a few shops by 1975, and says the installation of sewers led to extensive building of detached homes. Saanich Council endorsed a new local area plan at a public hearing on March 15, 2022. The previous plan dated from 1998. Sources: [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/13038.html), [District of Saanich (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Community/Documents/Planning/LAP~Updates/LAP-Cordova-Bay-web.pdf), [District of Saanich (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/news-events/news-archives/2022-news/future-vision-for-cordova-bay-village-reflected-in-newly-adopted-local-area-plan.html) ### Elk Lake, Beaver Lake and Prospect Lake, 1866 to 2023 BC Geographical Names adopted the name Elk Lake on 6 November 1934 and the name Beaver Lake on 16 January 1958. It says the two were separate lakes until circa 1895, when the water level of Beaver Lake was raised for Victoria's water supply. Saanich Place Names dates the Beaver Lake Dam to 1875. The Capital Regional District gives 1966 as the year Elk/Beaver Lake became a regional park and 1970 as the year of Bear Hill Regional Park. On November 2, 2023 the District announced that it had bought the former Royal Oak Golf Course, 10.92 hectares beside the south-east boundary of Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park, for $8.5 million. The Prospect Lake booklet quotes an 1866 article in the Colonist newspaper describing the lake as thronged with anglers. It says Albert and Nellie Whitehead farmed beside the lake from circa 1923 until 1960, when they sold the land to Saanich on condition that it become a park. Samuel McCullough built the Prospect Lake General Store in 1913. The booklet lists the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory at 5071 West Saanich Road among its stops. Parks Canada says astronomer John Stanley Plaskett recorded the first stellar spectrum on its 72 inch telescope on May 6, 1918. Sources: [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/9457.html), [BC Geographical Names Office (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/2804.html), [Saanich Archives (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Parks~Recreation~and~Community~Services/Documents/Archives~Collections~and~Research/Category~8/Saanich%20Place%20Names.pdf), [Capital Regional District (opens in a new tab)](https://www.crd.ca/parks-recreation/find-park-or-trail/elkbeaver-lake-regional-park), [Capital Regional District (opens in a new tab)](https://www.crd.ca/parks-recreation/find-park-or-trail/bear-hill-regional-park), [Capital Regional District (opens in a new tab)](https://www.crd.ca/about/news/article/2023/11/02/crd-purchases-former-royal-oak-golf-course), [District of Saanich (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Parks~Recreation~and~Community~Services/Documents/Prospect%20Lake%20Walking%20Tour%202014%20Complete%20Web.pdf), [Parks Canada (opens in a new tab)](https://pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_fhbro_eng.aspx?id=7681) ### Camosun College at Interurban, 1971 to 2016 Camosun College's 50th anniversary site says the B.C. Vocational School on Interurban Road merged with the Lansdowne campus in 1971 to become Camosun College. The school had offered trades and technical programs in professional cook training, electrical, plumbing, welding and carpentry trades, automotive repair and map drafting. The Interurban campus is one of the 18 places where Elections BC's 2024 results file records people voting inside Saanich South. On February 25, 2016 the college opened the Centre for Trades Education and Innovation at Interurban, a building of 80,000 square feet that cost $30 million. The college says it serves over 2,500 trades students and that a fundraising campaign from 2014 to 2016 raised over $7.5 million. Sources: [Camosun College (opens in a new tab)](https://50.camosun.ca/interurban-campus-life-in-the-70s/), [Camosun College (opens in a new tab)](https://50.camosun.ca/camosuns-centre-for-trades-education-and-innovation-opens/), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935) THE SEAT ## Who has held the seat Legislative Assembly records, 35th Parliament onward Saanich South first appears on the ballot at the 1991 general election. Elections BC's volume for 1987 to 2001 records that the Electoral Districts Act of 1990 received assent on 27 July 1990 and replaced the multi-member districts with 75 single-member districts, which took effect when the 35th Parliament was dissolved on 19 September 1991. Andrew Petter of the NDP won in 1991 with 10,254 votes (44.63%), ahead of Lorne Peasland of the Liberal Party with 8,309 (36.17%), and won again in 1996 with 11,394 votes (46.11%) against Frank Leonard of the Liberal Party with 10,867 (43.98%). Susan Brice of the BC Liberal Party won in 2001 with 12,699 votes (52.17%), ahead of David Cubberley of the NDP with 6,838 (28.09%). Cubberley won in 2005 with 12,809 votes (46.08%) against Brice with 12,380 (44.54%). Lana Popham of the BC NDP won in 2009 with 11,697 votes (47.14%), ahead of Robin Adair of the BC Liberal Party with 11,215 (45.20%). She won again in 2013 with 11,946 votes (45.55%), in 2017 with 11,921 (42.46%) and in 2020 with 15,190 (55.67%). In 2024 she won with 15,338 votes (49.76%). Adam Kubel of the Conservative Party received 10,003 votes (32.45%) and Ned Taylor of the BC Green Party received 5,485 (17.79%). Turnout was 67.62% of 45,655 registered voters. The legislature's list records Popham as the member for the 39th to 43rd Parliaments and Cubberley for the 38th. The commission's 2023 final report changed the district. Its Appendix D lists the old Saanich South at 54,007 people, 6.0% below the electoral quotient, in 91 square kilometres. Its Appendix C lists the new district at 58,671 people, 9.1% from the average, in 105 square kilometres. Brentwood Bay was kept whole in Saanich North and the Islands, and the Keating neighbourhood was moved into Saanich South instead. Elections BC's conversion table links the new district's 77 voting areas to the 2017 to 2024 districts as 70 in Saanich South, 7 in Saanich North and the Islands and 1 in Oak Bay-Gordon Head. Sources: [British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1871-1986_ElectoralHistoryofBC.pdf), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1987-2001-ElectionHistory.pdf), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2002-2013-ElectionHistory.pdf), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935), [Elections BC (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/fb26db04-780c-4229-a147-da4fd5311d36), [Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (opens in a new tab)](https://www.leg.bc.ca/members) Members for Saanich South | Parliament | It sat | Member | Elected as | Party on the legislature’s record | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 43rd | 2025 to 2026 | Lana Popham | BC NDP | BC NDP | | 42nd | 2020 to 2024 | Lana Popham | BC NDP | BC NDP | | 41st | 2017 to 2020 | Lana Popham | BC NDP | BC NDP | | 40th | 2013 to 2017 | Lana Popham | BC NDP | BC NDP | | 39th | 2009 to 2013 | Lana Popham | BC NDP | BC NDP | | 38th | 2005 to 2009 | David Cubberley | BC NDP | BC NDP | | 37th | 2001 to 2005 | Susan Brice | | BC Liberal Party | | 36th | 1996 to 2001 | Andrew Petter | | BC NDP | | 35th | 1992 to 1996 | Andrew Petter | | BC NDP | “Elected as” is the affiliation Elections BC printed with the winning result. The last column is the party the legislature’s records give for that parliament, which differs when a member changed party while in office. A row with that column empty is a winner Elections BC prints whom the legislature’s records leave out. Source: [Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (opens in a new tab)](https://www.leg.bc.ca/members) ### Boundaries since 2024 Saanich South has 77 voting areas. 70 of them overlap the district of the same name used from 2017 to 2024. Others overlap these districts from 2017 to 2024: Saanich North and the Islands (7), Oak Bay-Gordon Head (1). The commission that drew the boundaries counted 58,671 people in the district, 9.1% above the average for a district, over 105 km². Sources: [British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission, Final report, April 3, 2023 (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf), [Elections BC, Voting area conversion table, 2017 to 2024 (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/fb26db04-780c-4229-a147-da4fd5311d36) PAST RESULTS ## Every result since 2005 From Elections BC
**2024 Provincial General Election**Lana Popham, BC NDP, 49.76% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Lana PophamElected | BC NDP | 15,338 | 49.76% | | Adam Kubel | Conservative Party | 10,003 | 32.45% | | Ned Taylor | BC Green Party | 5,485 | 17.79% | 30,826 valid votes · 44 rejected ballots · 45,655 registered voters · 67.62% voted
**2020 General Election**Lana Popham, BC NDP, 55.67% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Lana PophamElected | BC NDP | 15,190 | 55.67% | | Rishi Sharma | BC Liberal Party | 6,608 | 24.22% | | Kate O'Connor | BC Green Party | 5,488 | 20.11% | 27,286 valid votes · 159 rejected ballots
**2017 General Election**Lana Popham, BC NDP, 42.46% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Lana PophamElected | BC NDP | 11,921 | 42.46% | | David Calder | BC Liberal Party | 8,716 | 31.05% | | Mark Neufeld | BC Green Party | 7,129 | 25.39% | | Andrew Paul McLean | Libertarian | 177 | 0.63% | | Richard Percival Pattee | The Vancouver Island Party | 130 | 0.46% | 28,073 valid votes · 126 rejected ballots
**2013 General Election**Lana Popham, BC NDP, 45.55% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Lana PophamElected | BC NDP | 11,946 | 45.55% | | Rishi Sharma | BC Liberal Party | 9,256 | 35.29% | | Branko Mustafovic | BC Green Party | 4,011 | 15.29% | | Joshua Galbraith | Conservative | 873 | 3.33% | | Peter Kappel | Independent | 142 | 0.54% | 26,228 valid votes · 88 rejected ballots
**2009 General Election**Lana Popham, BC NDP, 47.14% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Lana PophamElected | BC NDP | 11,697 | 47.14% | | Robin Adair | BC Liberal Party | 11,215 | 45.20% | | Brian Geoffrey Gordon | BC Green Party | 1,664 | 6.71% | | Douglas Christie | Western Canada Concept | 235 | 0.95% | 24,811 valid votes · 164 rejected ballots
**2005 General Election**David Cubberley, BC NDP, 46.08% | Candidate | Affiliation | Votes | Share | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | David CubberleyElected | BC NDP | 12,809 | 46.08% | | Susan Mary Brice | BC Liberal Party | 12,380 | 44.54% | | Brandon McIntyre | BC Green Party | 2,018 | 7.26% | | Brett Hinch | DR BC | 223 | 0.80% | | Douglas Christie | Western Canada Concept | 207 | 0.74% | | Kerry Steinemann | Independent | 161 | 0.58% | 27,798 valid votes · 170 rejected ballots
The boundaries changed before the 2009, 2017 and 2024 elections, so a result under the same name can cover a different area. Sources: [Elections BC, Provincial Voting Results (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935), [Statement of Votes, 2024 Provincial General Election (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/statement-of-votes-2024-provincial-election.pdf) PEOPLE · 2021 CENSUS ## Who lives in Saanich South 58,680 residents · British Columbia beside each figure ### Age
Median age
47.6BC 42.8
- Under 1513.3%BC 14.3% - 15 to 6461.4%BC 65.3% - 65 and over25.3%BC 20.3% - 85 and over3.5%BC 2.4% ### Households
Households
23,180
People per household
2.5BC 2.4
#### Who lives together - Couples with children24.1%BC 22.7% - Couples without children30.5%BC 26.4% - One-parent families7.3%BC 7.6% - Multigenerational households3.5%BC 3.7% - People living alone24.1%BC 29.4% #### Household size - 1 person24.1%BC 29.4% - 2 persons38.5%BC 35.3% - 3 persons15.4%BC 14.5% - 4 persons14.2%BC 12.6% - 5 or more persons7.8%BC 8.2% ### Homes
Median home value
$980,000BC $785,000
Median monthly rent and utilities
$1,350BC $1,370
Median monthly cost for owners
$1,310BC $1,320
#### Own or rent - Own their home76.5%BC 66.8% - Rent their home23.5%BC 32.8% #### Type of home - Single-detached house53.0%BC 42.4% - Semi-detached house2.5%BC 3.1% - Row house9.1%BC 8.3% - Apartment or flat in a duplex22.5%BC 12.2% - Apartment in a building that has fewer than five storeys10.9%BC 20.4% - Apartment in a building that has five or more storeys1.8%BC 10.9% - Other single-attached house0.1%BC 0.2% #### When the home was built - 1960 or earlier16.7%BC 12.5% - 1961 to 198027.2%BC 27.0% - 1981 to 199023.1%BC 14.2% - 1991 to 200014.9%BC 16.5% - 2001 to 20055.7%BC 6.0% - 2006 to 20104.9%BC 8.0% - 2011 to 20153.2%BC 6.6% - 2016 to 20214.4%BC 9.1% ### Housing costs - Renters paying 30% or more of income on housing35.5%BC 37.8% - Owners paying 30% or more of income on housing15.6%BC 19.3% - Renters in core housing need19.5%BC 24.7% - Owners in core housing need4.8%BC 8.0% - Renters in subsidized housing15.2%BC 11.0% - Owners with a mortgage52.5%BC 57.5% ### Income Income is for the year 2020.
Median household income
$103,000BC $85,000
After tax
$91,000BC $76,000
Median income per person
$48,000BC $40,800
#### Living on a low income (after-tax measure) - All ages6.4%BC 10.8% - Under 187.2%BC 11.3% - 18 to 645.8%BC 9.7% - 65 and over7.1%BC 13.8% ### Languages #### First language learned - English78.8%BC 67.1% - Punjabi (Panjabi)3.1%BC 4.9% - Mandarin2.1%BC 4.1% - Yue (Cantonese)2.1%BC 3.9% - French1.1%BC 1.2% - Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)1.0%BC 1.7% - German0.9%BC 1.0% - Spanish0.9%BC 1.2% - Portuguese0.7%BC 0.5% - Dutch0.5%BC 0.4% #### Spoken most often at home - English89.1%BC 78.5% - Punjabi (Panjabi)2.1%BC 3.8% - Mandarin1.4%BC 3.3% - Yue (Cantonese)1.0%BC 2.8% - Tagalog (Pilipino, Filipino)0.5%BC 0.9% - Korean0.5%BC 0.9% - French0.3%BC 0.3% - Spanish0.3%BC 0.6% #### English and French - English only91.2%BC 90.1% - English and French7.4%BC 6.6% - Neither English nor French1.4%BC 3.3% ### Immigration
Born outside Canada (immigrants)
21.2%BC 29.0%
Non-permanent residents
1.9%BC 3.5%
#### Where immigrants were born - United Kingdom16.8%BC 8.2% - India12.8%BC 13.8% - China11.6%BC 15.3% - United States of America6.5%BC 4.2% - Philippines6.2%BC 9.2% - Germany3.0%BC 2.2% - Hong Kong2.7%BC 5.5% - Portugal2.4%BC 0.5% - Viet Nam2.3%BC 2.3% - Oceania and other places of birth1.8%BC 2.3% #### When immigrants arrived - Arrived before 198033.7%BC 19.7% - 1980 to 199013.8%BC 11.5% - 1991 to 200015.0%BC 21.0% - 2001 to 201018.4%BC 22.2% - 2011 to 202119.1%BC 25.6% #### Generations in Canada - First generation24.9%BC 33.7% - Second generation23.1%BC 21.7% - Third generation or more52.0%BC 44.5% ### Identity and origins
Indigenous identity
3.2%BC 5.9%
Visible minority
21.7%BC 34.4%
#### Visible minority groups - Chinese6.7%BC 11.2% - South Asian6.3%BC 9.6% - Filipino2.0%BC 3.5% - Southeast Asian1.3%BC 1.5% - Black1.0%BC 1.3% - Japanese0.9%BC 0.9% - Latin American0.9%BC 1.3% - Korean0.8%BC 1.5% - Multiple visible minorities0.8%BC 1.2% - West Asian0.5%BC 1.4% - Arab0.4%BC 0.6% - Visible minority (other)0.2%BC 0.4% #### Ethnic or cultural origins reported most often - English30.3%BC 20.7% - Scottish21.5%BC 15.8% - Irish16.6%BC 12.8% - Canadian11.3%BC 9.3% - German11.0%BC 11.0% - Chinese7.0%BC 10.5% - French6.6%BC 6.4% - British Isles6.5%BC 3.9% - Ukrainian4.5%BC 4.3% - Dutch4.1%BC 3.9% ### Religion - No religion55.0%BC 52.1% - Christian36.5%BC 34.3% - Sikh3.8%BC 5.9% - Other religions1.2%BC 1.0% - Buddhist1.0%BC 1.7% - Muslim1.0%BC 2.6% - Hindu0.9%BC 1.7% - Jewish0.6%BC 0.5% - Traditional Indigenous spirituality0.0%BC 0.2% ### Education Highest level completed, ages 25 to 64. - No certificate, diploma or degree5.4%BC 8.0% - High school diploma23.6%BC 25.8% - College, trades or other certificate below a bachelor’s degree30.7%BC 31.2% - Bachelor’s degree or higher40.3%BC 35.0% ### Work
In the labour force
61.8%BC 63.3%
Employed
58.3%BC 57.9%
Unemployment rate at the census
5.6%BC 8.4%
#### Industries with the most workers - Health care and social assistance14.4%BC 12.3% - Public administration12.8%BC 5.5% - Retail trade11.4%BC 11.6% - Professional, scientific and technical services9.3%BC 9.2% - Educational services8.4%BC 7.4% - Construction8.2%BC 9.0% - Accommodation and food services6.7%BC 7.0% - Other services (except public administration)4.4%BC 4.4% #### Kinds of work - Sales and service occupations24.6%BC 25.6% - Business, finance and administration occupations18.5%BC 17.1% - Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations14.8%BC 18.0% - Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services13.9%BC 11.9% - Natural and applied sciences and related occupations9.5%BC 8.0% - Health occupations9.1%BC 7.7% - Occupations in art, culture, recreation and sport4.0%BC 4.2% - Natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations2.5%BC 2.8% - Legislative and senior management occupations1.7%BC 1.2% - Occupations in manufacturing and utilities1.7%BC 3.4% ### Getting to work #### Where people worked - Worked at home27.0%BC 22.6% - Worked outside Canada0.2%BC 0.4% - No fixed workplace address12.7%BC 15.3% - Worked at a usual workplace60.1%BC 61.6% #### How commuters travelled - Car, truck or van83.2%BC 79.9% - Public transit6.4%BC 9.3% - On foot4.1%BC 6.5% - Bicycle3.9%BC 2.0% - Other method2.3%BC 2.3% #### Length of the trip - Less than 15 minutes32.9%BC 31.8% - 15 to 29 minutes51.2%BC 34.0% - 30 to 44 minutes12.3%BC 19.7% - 45 to 59 minutes1.9%BC 7.3% - 60 minutes and over1.6%BC 7.2% ### Moving Where residents lived five years before the census. - Lived at the same address64.8%BC 56.2% - Moved within the same municipality13.0%BC 16.1% - Moved from elsewhere in BC14.5%BC 17.0% - Moved from another province4.3%BC 4.6% - Moved from another country3.5%BC 6.1% Counts in the census are rounded to the nearest 5, and shares are worked out from those counts. Source: [BC Stats, from Statistics Canada tabulations, 2021 Census Profile for BC Provincial Electoral Districts (2023 Redistribution) (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/census-profiles-for-bc-provincial-electoral-districts) QUESTIONS ## Questions about Saanich South 11 answers ### Where is Saanich South? Saanich South is a provincial electoral district in Greater Victoria, on the Saanich Peninsula north of the City of Victoria. The Electoral Boundaries Commission's 2023 final report says it includes the neighbourhoods of Royal Oak, Cordova Bay and Prospect Lake and the Keating neighbourhood of Central Saanich east of Oldfield Road. The commission gives the district an area of 105 square kilometres and a population of 58,671. ### Which communities are in Saanich South? Saanich South includes Royal Oak, Cordova Bay, Prospect Lake and the Keating neighbourhood of Central Saanich, according to the commission's 2023 final report. Elections BC's 2024 results file lists 18 places where people voted inside the district, among them the Camosun College Interurban Campus, Strawberry Vale Elem School, Lake Hill Elem School and the Willis Point Comm Centre, so those communities lie in Saanich South. ### Who is the MLA for Saanich South? Lana Popham of the BC NDP is the member of the Legislative Assembly for Saanich South. She won the district at the 2024 provincial general election with 15,338 votes, which Elections BC records as 49.76% of the votes cast. Adam Kubel of the Conservative Party came second with 10,003 votes, and Ned Taylor of the BC Green Party received 5,485. ### Who held the seat before Lana Popham? David Cubberley of the BC NDP held Saanich South from 2005 to 2009, according to the legislature's list of members. Susan Brice of the BC Liberal Party held it from 2001 to 2005, and Andrew Petter of the BC NDP held it from 1992 to 2001. Popham first won the district in 2009 with 11,697 votes, and the legislature records her for every Parliament since. ### How did Saanich South vote in 2024? At the 2024 provincial general election Lana Popham of the BC NDP received 15,338 votes, or 49.76%, in Saanich South. Adam Kubel of the Conservative Party received 10,003 votes, or 32.45%, and Ned Taylor of the BC Green Party received 5,485, or 17.79%. Elections BC records a turnout of 67.62% of the 45,655 registered voters in the district. ### How did the 2023 boundary change affect Saanich South? The commission's 2023 final report moved the Keating neighbourhood of Central Saanich into Saanich South so that Brentwood Bay could stay whole in Saanich North and the Islands. Its appendices list the old Saanich South at 54,007 people and 91 square kilometres and the new district at 58,671 people and 105 square kilometres. Elections BC's conversion table links 70 of the 77 voting areas to the old Saanich South. ### Whose territory is Saanich South on? Saanich South lies in the traditional territories of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and SENĆOŦEN speaking peoples, according to Saanich Archives. The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council says W̱SÁNEĆ land on the Saanich Peninsula went south as far as PKOLS (Mount Douglas). The Cordova Bay local area plan names the village ȾEL,IȽĆE, and SȾÁUTW̱ First Nation's reserve East Saanich 2 marks the northern boundary of the district. ### Who lives in Saanich South? The 2021 census counted 58,680 people in Saanich South, with a median age of 47.6 against 42.8 for British Columbia. Owners live in 76.5% of homes and renters in 23.5%. Immigrants are 21.2% of residents, compared with 29% in the province, and 3.2% of residents identify as Indigenous. The United Kingdom is the most common country of birth among immigrants, with 2,055 people. ### When did Saanich South first appear on the ballot? Saanich South first appears on the ballot at the 1991 general election. Elections BC's volume for 1987 to 2001 says the Electoral Districts Act of 1990 set out 75 single-member districts, and the Act came into effect when the 35th Parliament was dissolved on 19 September 1991. Andrew Petter of the NDP won the district that year with 10,254 votes. ### How do people travel around Saanich South? Highway 17, the Patricia Bay Highway, runs through Saanich South, and the Capital Regional District's 29 kilometre Lochside Regional Trail runs from Swartz Bay to Victoria. The 2024 rider's guide of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission lists a Royal Oak Exchange served by routes 6, 30, 31, 32, 39, 75 and 83, and route 8 links Interurban, Tillicum Centre and Oak Bay. ### When did Saanich become a municipality? Saanich Archives writes that the District of Saanich was first incorporated on March 1, 1906, with Thomas Brydon as its first Reeve. The second Municipal Hall opened in 1911 at 4512 West Saanich Road in Royal Oak, one of the neighbourhoods named by the commission as part of Saanich South. Municipal offices moved to Vernon Avenue in 1965. SOURCES ## Where this page comes from Figures read Thursday, October 8, 2026 1. [2021 Census Profile for BC Provincial Electoral Districts (2023 Redistribution) (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/census-profiles-for-bc-provincial-electoral-districts)BC Stats, from Statistics Canada tabulations · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 2. [Provincial Voting Results (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 3. [Statement of Votes, 2024 Provincial General Election (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/statement-of-votes-2024-provincial-election.pdf)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 4. [Voting area conversion table, 2017 to 2024 (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/fb26db04-780c-4229-a147-da4fd5311d36)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 5. [Final report, April 3, 2023 (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf)British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 6. [Members of the Legislative Assembly, 35th to 43rd Parliament (opens in a new tab)](https://www.leg.bc.ca/members)Legislative Assembly of British Columbia · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 7. [Final report, April 3, 2023 (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/BCEBC-Final-Report-April-3-2023.pdf)British Columbia Electoral Boundaries Commission · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 8. [Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871 to 1986 (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1871-1986_ElectoralHistoryofBC.pdf)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 9. [Electoral History of British Columbia, Supplement, 1987 to 2001 (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1987-2001-ElectionHistory.pdf)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 10. [Electoral History of British Columbia, Supplement, 2002 to 2013 (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2002-2013-ElectionHistory.pdf)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 11. [Provincial Voting Results (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/44914a35-de9a-4830-ac48-870001ef8935)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 12. [Voting area conversion table, 2017 to 2024 (opens in a new tab)](https://catalogue.data.gov.bc.ca/dataset/fb26db04-780c-4229-a147-da4fd5311d36)Elections BC · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 13. [Members of the Legislative Assembly, 35th to 43rd Parliament (opens in a new tab)](https://www.leg.bc.ca/members)Legislative Assembly of British Columbia · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 14. [History and Territory (opens in a new tab)](https://wsanec.com/history-territory/)W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 15. [PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park) Restored as New Official Name of Mount Douglas Park (opens in a new tab)](https://wsanec.com/pkols-mount-douglas-park-restored-as-new-official-name-of-mount-douglas-park)W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 16. [About SȾÁUTW̱ (opens in a new tab)](https://stautw.ca/about-tsawout/)SȾÁUTW̱ (Tsawout) First Nation · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 17. [Royal Oak timeline, March 2023 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Parks~Recreation~and~Community~Services/Documents/Archives~Collections~and~Research/Royal%20Oak%20timeline.pdf)Saanich Archives · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 18. [Saanich Place Names (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Parks~Recreation~and~Community~Services/Documents/Archives~Collections~and~Research/Category~8/Saanich%20Place%20Names.pdf)Saanich Archives · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 19. [Prospect Lake Heritage Walking Tour, 2014 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Parks~Recreation~and~Community~Services/Documents/Prospect%20Lake%20Walking%20Tour%202014%20Complete%20Web.pdf)District of Saanich · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 20. [Cordova Bay Local Area Plan (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Community/Documents/Planning/LAP~Updates/LAP-Cordova-Bay-web.pdf)District of Saanich · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 21. [Indigenous History in Cordova Bay, December 2018 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/assets/Community/Documents/Planning/LAP~Updates/Cordova%20Bay%20LAP%20Indigenous%20History%20December%202018%2048x36.pdf)District of Saanich · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 22. [Future vision for Cordova Bay Village reflected in newly adopted local area plan, March 16, 2022 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/news-events/news-archives/2022-news/future-vision-for-cordova-bay-village-reflected-in-newly-adopted-local-area-plan.html)District of Saanich · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 23. [History and Heritage Sites (opens in a new tab)](https://www.centralsaanich.ca/node/41)District of Central Saanich · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 24. [Cordova Bay, BC Geographical Names record (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/13038.html)BC Geographical Names Office · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 25. [Elk Lake, BC Geographical Names record (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/9457.html)BC Geographical Names Office · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 26. [Beaver Lake, BC Geographical Names record (opens in a new tab)](https://apps.gov.bc.ca/pub/bcgnws/names/2804.html)BC Geographical Names Office · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 27. [Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park (opens in a new tab)](https://www.crd.ca/parks-recreation/find-park-or-trail/elkbeaver-lake-regional-park)Capital Regional District · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 28. [Bear Hill Regional Park (opens in a new tab)](https://www.crd.ca/parks-recreation/find-park-or-trail/bear-hill-regional-park)Capital Regional District · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 29. [Lochside Regional Trail (opens in a new tab)](https://www.crd.ca/parks-recreation/find-park-or-trail/lochside-regional-trail)Capital Regional District · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 30. [CRD purchases former Royal Oak Golf Course, November 2, 2023 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.crd.ca/about/news/article/2023/11/02/crd-purchases-former-royal-oak-golf-course)Capital Regional District · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 31. [Victoria Regional Transit Rider's Guide, April 2024 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.bctransit.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/8728_VIC_RG-04-15-24-WEB.pdf)BC Transit · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 32. [Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Classified Federal Heritage Building (opens in a new tab)](https://pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_fhbro_eng.aspx?id=7681)Parks Canada · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 33. [Interurban campus life in the 70s (opens in a new tab)](https://50.camosun.ca/interurban-campus-life-in-the-70s/)Camosun College · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 34. [Centre for Trades Education and Innovation opens (opens in a new tab)](https://50.camosun.ca/camosuns-centre-for-trades-education-and-innovation-opens/)Camosun College · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 35. [Victoria's Games 25 years later, August 25, 2019 (opens in a new tab)](https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/victorias-games-25-years-later-could-they-happen-today-4675225)Times Colonist · read Thursday, October 8, 2026 ## Official information From Elections BC Your district ### [Check which district an address is in](https://elections.bc.ca/resources/maps/find-your-district/) Look up your address to be sure this district is yours. [Look it up (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/resources/maps/find-your-district/) Candidates ### [The official candidate list](https://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/fin/GE-2026-10-24-Candidate-Website-Report.PDF) The list this page is built from, published by Elections BC. [Open the list (opens in a new tab)](https://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/fin/GE-2026-10-24-Candidate-Website-Report.PDF) Voting ### [Where and when to vote](https://elections.bc.ca/2026-provincial-election/where-to-vote/) Voting places and hours for general voting day and advance voting. [Find your voting place (opens in a new tab)](https://elections.bc.ca/2026-provincial-election/where-to-vote/) ## Sitemap See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.