Saanich South

Cathie Ounsted is the Conservative Party of B.C. candidate for Saanich South. A longtime Peninsula resident and business owner/controller at Ounsted and Company, her background includes Victoria Police, director of operations at Thrifty Foods, Central Saanich council (2011–2014), the Peninsula Co-op board, and chair of the Victoria Airport Authority (2022–2024). She has also volunteered in youth sports.

Lisa Lapointe is the BC Green Party candidate for Saanich South in the October 24, 2026 provincial election. Leader Emily Lowan announced the candidacy on October 1, 2026, as the party released its toxic-drugs policy, and Lapointe is listed on Elections BC’s October 2, 2026 candidate report. She was British Columbia’s chief coroner from 2011 until 2024, overseeing investigations of unnatural and unexpected deaths and arguing that evidence and public-health data should guide the response to drug-related deaths. A UBC law graduate, she joined the public service in 1995 and later worked with the Coroners Service and the Civil Forfeiture Office. She chaired the Canadian Forum of Chief Coroners and Chief Medical Examiners and BCIT’s Forensic Science and Technology Program Advisory Committee. In 2017, with the First Nations Health Authority, she committed the Coroners Service to cultural safety and humility, described as the first provincial agency to make that public commitment.

Richard Zussman is the BC NDP candidate for Saanich South. A former CBC and Global BC legislative reporter and six-time Jack Webster Award recipient, he co-authored A Matter of Confidence and holds a master’s in broadcast journalism from Syracuse and a bachelor’s from Queen’s University. He serves on boards for the Lakehill Baseball and Fastball Association and the Victoria Curling Club.