Oct 28 - Candidate's anti-Indigenous comments emerge amid final vote count

Good morning !

The election isn't over yet, but the result should be pretty clear after today. Even after all final vote counts are in, though, the exact seat count may not be fully settled because the closest race looks like it may go to a BC Supreme Court recount.

More on that below, but first we cover the controversy emerging around a local candidate in what has become one of BC's tightest and most-talked-about electoral races. On election night, though, she appears to have been interested in a different sort of race talk.

— Cam

Today’s approx. read time: 7 minutes

🌡️ Weather Forecast

Today: 🌦️ 13 / 4

Tomorrow: ☁️ 11 / 7

Day after: 🌧 10 / 7

NEWS

Local candidate, who could determine BC election, made many anti-Indigenous comments on election night 

Conservative Marina Sapozhnikov is facing condemnation, even from within her own party, for derogatory statements toward Indigenous Peoples and history—including calling First Nations “savages.” The comments were made, unprompted, to a VIU journalism student who was following Sapozhnikov's election night, and interviewing her, for a class assignment. The recording by Alyona Latsinnik was first shared with the Vancouver Sun, and later with other media.

Sapozhnikov, a Cobble Hill area doctor born in what is now Ukraine, made unexpected inroads into what has mainly been NDP territory. She remains locked in one of the closest races of a BC election in which the NDP & Conservatives are nearly tied.

Multiple denigrating comments, unprompted 

During a long conversation, Sapozhnikov learned Latsinnik was majoring in Indigenous Studies and said that the field was “all a lie" to present historical Indigenous Peoples as “some enlightened people.” She insisted they were instead “very simple," didn't have “any sophisticated laws,” and were “savages [who] fought each other all the time”—using a term often seen as a slur. Latsinnik pushed back, pointing out that warring was frequent in Europe at the same time.

Sapozhnikov later walked back to only “90% savages" and later told Postmedia that she didn't think current-day Indigenous residents were savages. She doubled down, in the Sun interview, on insisting Indigenous courses had a misleading agenda.

She also suggested that as a doctor she “wasn't able to talk to” Indigenous patients, “[b]ecause they don't talk.”

Indigenous groups & peer speak against candidate 

The Okanagan Nation Alliance said Sapozhnikov's comments “constitute a form of hate speech" and that First Nations have long “survived the racist and colonial views and actions of people like Ms. Sapozhnikov.” Kamloops Centre MLA-elect Peter Milobar, also a Conservative, said the words were “reprehensible.” The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs called them “unacceptable at every level.”

Party leader John Rustad “appalled and deeply saddened"

Rustad's email statements to media said that the words were “inaccurate,” “profoundly harmful,” painted a “distorted picture,” and did not reflect the party—though he did not say they would be penalized.

Rustad is a former Indigenous Affairs minister, though he drew heat himself from many Indigenous groups this fall for suggesting he'd repeal BC's unanaimously passed UNDRIP / DRIPA Indigenous-rights legislation. Sapozhnikov also spoke against DRIPA in the recording, and called UNDRIP “bullshit.”

NDP and Green responses argued that Rustad has repeatedly tolerated racism scandals in his party.

⚠️ Capital Bulletin

Mostly rain this week, until some sun & cloud on weekend.

Blue-green algae advisories still ongoing at Thetis, Prior, Elk, Beaver, and Durrance Lakes.

Driving today? Check the current traffic situation via Google.

NEWS

BC election update: Count concludes today, but final result may come from courts

Telephone and mail-in ballots finished being counted yesterday, Elections BC announced around 4pm. Remaining to be counted are some absentee ballots. They will begin to be counted at 9am today, and the totals may be updated as frequently as every hour.

Check the latest results here and get Sunday's updates for key ridings below:

NDP holding on to Surrey City Centre after recount

The recount finished around 8:30pm last night with Amna Shah 175 votes ahead. JDF-Malahat recount will finish today.

Conservatives holding on to Courtenay — Comox 

Ronna-Rae Leonard has fallen 116 votes short of holding her Comox seat, falling to Conservative Brennan Day, who secured a total of 13,396. Arzeena Hamir delivered the Greens’ fourth-best vote total in BC with more than 7,000. The riding also included independent protest candidate John Hedican, a father who lost his son to tainted drugs in 2017. He said he ran to oppose a lack of action on drug deaths—and a reliance on drug prohibition—by major parties. He earned 641 votes—more than the margin of victory.

Conservatives also holding Kelowna Centre

A window for the NDP to snag a riding in the Conservative-dominated Interior may have closed. The presence of a former United candidate running as an independent helped make this a close race, but the Conservatives were up by 68 as of Sunday.

Surrey–Guildford may go to a judicial recount

That happens if the margin of victory remains within 1/500 of total votes cast. That magic number will be 37 or 38; last night, the margin was at 12 with some absentee ballots still to be counted. 

This riding has become crucial because flipping it would give the NDP a narrow majority, allowing them to govern without necessarily making a deal with the Greens—although governing with 47 has limitations, as discussed this week.

NEWS

Gold & silver for UVic cross-country teams at Canada West championships

Victoria's runners are best (and second-best) in the west after the women won their league championship and the men were runners-up in theirs.

At Stoney Creek Park in Abbotsford on Saturday, the Vikes women secured their first title since 2017 and their 22nd overall. For their success, coach Hilary Stellingwerff won Coach of the Year for the first time.

All 5 of their best runners, whose scores count as team points, finished in the top 14 and were names All-Stars: Erin Owens (5th - 30:09.820), Marisha Thompson (6th - 30:27.749), Elise Coates (9th - 30:38.554), Colette Reimer (12th - 31:12.702), and Delaney Chan (13th - 31:14.303).

On the men's side, the 5 scorers were all within the top 30 but only Daniel Damian (5th - 26:02.544) and Jacob Webster (11th - 26:14.371) were All-Stars. The rest finished in the 20s: Jack Boden (20th - 26:48.339), Hayden Woodrow (23rd - 26:54.245), and first-year runner Ian McAllister (29th - 27:08.216) who was named to the All-Rookie team.

The local teams race for a national championship at UBC on Nov. 9.

SPONSORED BY OLIVE FERTILITY VICTORIA

Struggling to conceive? Get expert help

Consider seeing a fertility specialist if:

• You are under 35 and have been trying to conceive for over a year

• You are over 35

• You have irregular or absent menstrual cycles

• You or your partner have known fertility issues or medical conditions affecting fertility

Early consultation can help identify and address potential fertility issues. Offering advanced testing, personalized fertility plans and compassionate patient-centred care, the fertility experts at Olive can give you the best chance of having a healthy baby.

You don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Book your consultation today and take the first step towards growing your family. Consultations with a fertility specialist and testing are MSP-covered, and Olive offers no-fee virtual referrals.

⭐️ Capital Picks

🦉 An excited Saw-Whet Owl: Robert Fraser photo

🌌 How about a few more Northern Lights photos from this month? These beautiful ones were captured by conservation photographer TJ Watt.

🌿 "A gripping tale of heart and humanity" 1939 opens this Thursday at the Belfry Theatre. Pay-what-you-want tickets are available.*

Support local journalism by supporting Capital Daily. Become a Capital Daily Insider member today and help bring local stories to life. 

*Sponsored Listing

🗞️ In Other News

Peninsula plane plant is hiring hundreds after billion-dollar EU order
De Havilland's local facility wants 500 employees before 2027, after scaling up to 300 this spring. It is adding capacity to satisfy the European Union's order of Canadair amphibious planes for firefighting. An EU civil protection officer told the Times Colonist that Canadairs are “perfectly adapted” for the Mediterranean, and that—due to population density—fighting wildfires must be faster in Europe than in Canada. [Times Colonist]

No injuries after Langford apartment fire
Langford Fire Rescue says that what initially sounded like an explosion to some residents turned out to only be a small fire in one unit, and the sprinklers’ reaction. The building on Hockley has water damage, but it is intact and residents are unharmed. [CHEK]

Prison theatre company's play-about-a-play sells out early
Hatched is a show about creativity while living under incarceration, put on by William Head on Stage—Canada's oldest prison theatre company. Tickets are all spoken for, but you can read more about the story behind the show at The Martlet. 

Refurbishment of largest mural in Canada is almost complete at Ogden Point  
The Unity Wall on the breakwater was created in 2009 by Butch Dick (Songhees) and Darlene Gait of (Xʷsepsəm) along with 11 young artists. One of those artists, Jesse Campbell, has been restoring the massive public artwork at the 15-year mark.

🗓️ Things to do

💃 Dance classes by donation this week at Passion & Performance Victoria. [Info]

🧙‍♀️ Witches SUP Paddle & fundraiser for The Mustard Seed is at Willows Beach tomorrow. [Event info]

🌼 16th annual Intuitive Arts Fest, celebrating spirituality & metaphysics, is this weekend at 195 Bay. [Info]

🏊‍♂️ Paralympic medalist Nicholas Bennett is home after winning 2x gold and a silver in Paris. He'll be at the Ravensong Aquatic Centre in Qualicum for a celebration and meet&greet on Friday.

🪕 Victoria Folk Night is at The Mint next Tuesday. Elbow Kiss, Sky Lamborghini, and Gabe Elias play. All ages. [Tickets] 

👀 In Case You Missed It

Explaining the recount and final vote processes. [Sunday newsletter]

The Westshore headlines: Local dino stolen & recovered. Nation seeks wastewater help. Pacific FC season ends. [Latest edition]

Saturday headlines: 73 more Islanders die from toxic drugs. Historic success for women in BC election. [Oct. 26]

Correction: The Royals won Saturday's shootout game vs Prince George (5-4); it was Friday's matchup that they lost (3-6).

The “most photographed bear on Vancouver Island this year”. [VanIsleWildlife]

Due to aggressive dogs, a popular Salt Spring trail has been closed. [Driftwood]

Want to advertise to 50,000+ other locals? Contact our team.