B.C. Greens leader plans to run in different riding for next election

B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau says she'll be switching ridings when the province goes to the polls in October.

Furstenausays she will run in NDP-held VictoriaBeacon Hill, after representing the Cowichan Valley since 2017.

She says returning to the province's capital is a "full circle moment" after having spent two decades there, including attending university and raising her first son.

The 2024 election will be the first with new boundaries for the Cowichan Valley riding, with some of its eastern communities now in a different riding.

Furstenausays she was "surprised" by the boundary changes but added that the decision to run in Victoria was rooted in her desire to be closer to her family.

VictoriaBeacon Hill is currently represented by B.C.'s Minister of Children and Family Development Grace Lore, who won the seat in 2020 with 54 per cent of the vote.

The Greens have two seats in the legislature after receiving 15 per cent of the popular vote in 2020, with Furstenau joined by Adam Olsen, who representsSaanich North and the Islands.