VICTORIA -- Victoria’s next city councillor will be elected Saturday in a byelection many are calling more significant than most, including Ross Crockford, journalist for Focus Magazine.

“It’s really going to determine the course of council in some major decisions and the nature of debate is going to be on the table,” said Crockford.

While 11 candidates are vying to fill the seat vacated by Laurel Collins, who stepped down to become a federal MP, political watchers say there are two frontrunners to succeed her.

One of them is Stefanie Hardman, an urban planner and the candidate representing Together Victoria, the political group to which Collins belonged.

The other front runner is Stephen Andrew, a former journalist, who has received support from the business community and recently earned the endorsement of Councillor Geoff Young, considered a more traditional, pro-business councillor.

Whoever prevails could break various deadlocks on hot issues like policing and tent cities, says Crockford.

“The situation with homeless campers, with affordable housing, with policing issues. there is a bit of a split on council right now,” he said.

Crockford was referring to the fact that although councillors have voted differently on various issues, there have been several occasions on significant issues where rough voting blocks have emerged, with Together Victoria’s two current councillors Sarah Potts and Sharmarke Dubow — along with two other progressive councillors Ben Isitt and Jeremy Loveday — deadlocked against Young, Mayor Lisa Helps, Marianne Alto and Charlayne-Thornton Joe

On Friday, Hardman disputed that the Together Victoria councillors vote as a block.

“Together Victoria candidates do often vote differently on issues,” she said. “They don't always vote together”

Andrew says he is not ideologically linked to any one group. He’s prioritizing a change in the way council does business as his biggest campaign issue.

“I think the biggest issue is governance,” he said Friday. “Do we want more of the same of the past two years or do we want a change?”

More than 3,000 Victorians have already voted at advance polls, and even more have voted by mail. Eligible voters still have until 8 p.m. Saturday to cast a ballot that could have a major impact on the city’s future.