MLA Will Cole-Hamilton prepares for new role in opposition after Courtenay-Comox win

Newly elected Courtenay-Comox MLA Will Cole-Hamilton said election night brought mixed emotions, as he celebrated his local win while reflecting on the NDP’s loss provincially. 

“It was obviously a very bittersweet night. I was incredibly proud of the effort that my team and I put together to be able to help voters in the Comox Valley unite behind a single candidate and pleased with the success of that. But in the bigger picture province-wide, it was obviously very different,” said Cole-Hamilton. 

Cole-Hamilton won his seat with the BC NDP on Saturday night. 

According to Elections BC, Cole-Hamilton won with 13,390 votes, accounting for 45.1 per cent of the vote. Comparatively, BC Conservative Brennan Day received 12,694, or 42.7 per cent of the vote. 

In Courtenay-Comox, more than 29,000 ballots were counted for the preliminary results. The final count is conducted by Elections BC between November 6 and 10. 

Cole-Hamilton spent eight years on Courtenay city council, and three years as a chair of the Comox Valley Regional District. 

“I’m quite used to working with the provincial government in Victoria to get things we need for our community. That’s been a key part of the role. So I feel like I’m quite familiar with that advocacy role,” said Cole-Hamilton. 

He spoke on taking an opposition role to the new provincial government.

“The role of being in the opposition MLA, you know, that’s new to me. And our job there is to keep the government, hold them to account, and I do believe that an effective, constructive opposition is really essential and beneficial to good governance. I think looking for ways to improve or alter, you know, proposals by the government, with the goal of producing the best policy outcomes, that’s important work, and it’s all part of good government,” said Cole-Hamilton. 

During the campaign, he said housing and affordability were among top concerns from the community. 

“I think healthcare, affordability, and particularly affordability in the area of housing are things that I heard about. And certainly the housing piece is something I’ve worked on as a local politician, so I feel I’m familiar with that and able to advocate on behalf of the folks of Courtenay-Comox to improve the situation,” said Cole-Hamilton. 

Cole-Hamilton was also part of the creation of the new Comox Valley Housing Authority, which aims to build affordable housing units in the Comox Valley.

He said his immediate priority is learning the responsibilities of his new role. 

“ In terms of immediate priorities, I think for me, it’s about learning this new role. I have a pretty good sense of how it can be effective and what can be done. But over the next month, I think it’s gonna be a matter of a lot of listening, quite a lot of learning. Next week is MLA school in Victoria, just learning how the mechanisms of the legislature work. It’ll be learning from colleagues on both sides of the aisle, but particularly the NDP caucus, and figuring out how to become as effective as I can in this new role,” said Cole-Hamilton. 

Ahead of the next provincial election, he spoke to how the BC NDP can rebuild trust with voters. He plans to continue connecting directly with the community by knocking on doors and talking to residents. 

“ Well, the next general election is a long way away. I think I’m gonna focus on what went right in my campaign and to learn how to build on that in my own community. In a thank you note to constituents, I said that I plan to get out on the doorstep, to talk to people each and every month at least once and continue that throughout the term. And I think that’s gonna be a key element of making sure that I understand what’s important on the ground and make sure that the people of Courtenay-Comox feel and are well represented. So that’s kind of what I’m focusing on now,” said Cole-Hamilton. 

Cole-Hamilton said he intends to represent the entire Courtenay-Comox community, including voters who supported other candidates. 

“ I am tremendously appreciative of the trust that they placed in me, for those who did support me. And for those who didn’t, I represent the entire community, the entire valley, and I’ll be speaking to those folks along with everyone else when I continue to go out and knock on doors and make sure I’m in touch with the community,” said Cole-Hamilton.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.