B.C. Premier David Eby calls two byelections for June 24
![BC Legislature The B.C. Legislature in Victoria, B.C. is shown on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2020/6/21/bc-legislature-1-4993661-1627393238595.jpg)
VICTORIA - British Columbia Premier David Eby called byelections Saturday for two ridings left vacant after the resignations of the previous New Democrat premier and a former cabinet minister.
Voters in the Greater Victoria riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca and in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant will cast their ballots on June 24.
The premier said he was excited to announce the voting in two vibrant ridings where residents are in urgent need of representation.
The districts encompass very different communities, with Vancouver-Mount Pleasant including parts of the city's Chinatown and Downtown Eastside neighbourhoods, which are facing “big challenges,” Eby said.
He said Langford-Juan de Fuca is a fast-growing riding, and both districts are in need of strong representation heading into the fall legislative session.
Eby made the remarks at a news conference at the Vancouver International Airport before departing on a trade mission to several countries in Asia.
The premier and Jobs Minister Brenda Bailey are set to visit Japan, Korea, and Singapore in support of B.C.'s new trade diversification strategy.
Eby said he will also speak with officials in those countries about their housing strategies and how they're tackling challenges similar to those B.C. is facing.
The Langford riding had been held by former premier John Horgan from 2005 until his retirement from politics earlier this year, while Melanie Mark, a former advanced education and tourism minister, was first elected in 2016.
Mark was the first First Nations woman elected to the B.C. legislature before she also resigned her seat in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant earlier this year.
The NDP, BC United and Greens have nominated candidates to run in each riding.
School board trustee Ravi Parmar is set to run for the New Democrats in the Langford riding, while parental autism advocate Elena Lawson will carry the BC United banner and health advocate Camille Currie will contend for the Greens.
In Vancouver-Mount Pleasant, Indigenous leader Joan Phillip will run for the NDP, local businessman Jackie Lee for BC United, and emergency management expert Wendy Hayko for the Greens.
Advance voting is set to run from June 16 to 21, with June 24 as the final day voters may cast their ballots.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.4798178.1580915917!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns after assassination attempt against former U.S. president Trump at rally
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns after assassination attempt against former President Trump at rally.
What Canadians should know about a possible Kamala Harris U.S. presidency
Observers expect Kamala Harris to follow U.S. President Joe Biden’s roadmap for America’s relationship with Canada as she moves to secure the Democratic party's presidential nomination.
DEVELOPING Wildfire near Jasper National Park prompts evacuation order and highway closures
Multiple wildfires in Jasper National Park flared up with a vengeance late Monday night, forcing all park visitors along with the 4,700 residents of the Jasper townsite to flee west with little notice over mountain roads through darkness, soot, and ash.
Do you need a lawyer when making a will in Canada?
Many people believe that creating a will requires the services of a lawyer, but this isn't always the case. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew explains a lawyer's role when crafting your last will and testament.
Quebec mom devastated after man who killed her daughter in hit-and-run gets out after 5 months
A Montreal-area mother is furious with Quebec's justice system because the man who killed her 25-year-old daughter in a 2022 hit-and-run was released from jail after only serving one-sixth of his sentence behind bars.
'They are not taking this decision lightly': Wildfire forces Williams Lake, B.C., seniors homes to move residents
Firefighters continue to battle raging wildfires in B.C.’s Cariboo Region, and concern is growing that recent weather could worsen the situation.
5 of Harris’ more progressive proposals from her 2020 White House bid
As Kamala Harris prepares to run for president against Donald Trump, she will have to lay out for voters her own ideas on how to steer the economy.
NEW 'The Simpsons' are once again getting credit for predicting American politics
In an episode of 'The Simpsons' from 2000, Lisa Simpson becomes U.S. president and wears an outfit strikingly similar to the one America’s first female Vice-President Kamala Harris wore to the 2021 inauguration
China's leaders have floated the idea of raising the retirement age. It hasn't gone down well
China has announced plans to raise some of the world’s lowest statutory retirement ages as it tries to cope with the consequences of a rapidly aging population and a pensions funding crisis.