These are the candidates running in the Esquimalt byelection this Saturday

The byelection victor will replace now-MLA Darlene Rotchford and serve out the remaining year-and-a-half in that seat.

There are more contenders for this seat than the entire 2022 election—Esquimalt has six council seats and only seven candidates vying for spots in 2022. The odd man out that year was Chris Munkacsi, a provincial worker and small business owner. Neither he nor mayoral runner-up Sonya Gracey—a nurse, UVic instructor, and 2005-2008 Victoria councillor—ran this time.

This Saturday, residents can vote, or drop off mail-in ballots, from 8am to 8pm today at the Esquimalt Rec gym (527 Fraser).

There are eight candidates vying for the single seat. They are:

• Holly Courtright: A realtor and business coach, currently acting as president of Esquimalt Chamber of Commerce. Her positions include adding development cost charges to gain more public money from developers and opposing using Alternative Approval Processes (AAP) for high-cost plans. [ Learn more about Courtright]

• Meagan Brame: Brame already served as a councillor for 14 years, but did not run in 2022. She attempted to win an MLA seat last fall. Her candidacy ended when her party, BC United, gave up its campaign. Brame wants to focus on drawing businesses to Esquimalt while maintaining the “small-town feel.” [ Learn more about Brame]

• Shawn Stewart: A former reserve military officer, mainly in tech roles, Stewart wants to develop a long-term (50+ years) vision for the township. He’s pitching several high-concept ideas, including making the area’s unused rail line a bus corridor and adding a dedicated medical services building. [ Learn more about Stewart]

• Kody Thomson: Thomson has a background in civil engineering and disaster management, and is an armed forces officer. He wants to add more missing-middle housing, more transit and active transportation, and more family doctors (possibly following Colwood's model).  [ Learn more about Thomson]

• Cornelis Bouman: A retired civil servant who has lived in Esquimalt for 20 years, which he says has seen massive growth in the last 10. He hopes to tackle traffic issues, especially high congestion, and look into a new or expanded pool/rec centre. [ Learn more about on Bouman]

• Marcus McCullough: A youth support worker who previously worked in disaster recovery and economic growth with Alberta government ministries. Housing costs and community well-being are top priorities for McCullough. [ Learn more about McCullough]

• James Myers: An engineer who has moved around the continent many times, Myers wants to maintain community parks and infrastructure and to support seniors and newly arriving families.  [ Learn more about Myers]

• ‍ Ed Avery: Avery told the Times Colonist he’s a third-generation Esquimalt resident who is concerned about the municipality’s infrastructure-fund deficit, proposed tax increases, and increasing density.