North Island—Powell River

Re-created by the 2012 redistribution, North Island—Powell River encompasses the northern half of Vancouver Island from Comox northward, along with the mainland community of Powell River and Texada Island across the Strait of Georgia. The riding's approximately 126,000 residents are spread across communities including Campbell River, Comox, Powell River, Port McNeill, Port Hardy, and Alert Bay.

Candidates

Rachel Blaney (NDP) — A Campbell River resident, Blaney secured the NDP nomination in late 2014, defeating retired union leader Dave Coles for the candidacy. She entered the race as a first-time federal candidate in a riding where the NDP drew strength from Vancouver Island's traditional labour and resource-sector voting base.

Laura Smith (Conservative) — Smith had worked as a policy adviser to Vancouver Island North MP John Duncan since 2008. Before her time in Ottawa, she spent fourteen years in forest stewardship, holding a biology degree from the University of Victoria with additional forestry studies at the University of British Columbia.

Peter Schwarzhoff (Liberal) — A Campbell River resident, Schwarzhoff had spent thirty years as a meteorologist, air quality researcher, and science manager with Environment Canada before seeking the Liberal nomination. He was acclaimed as the party's candidate for this riding.

Brenda Sayers (Green Party) — A member of the Hupacasath First Nation, Sayers gained national attention for her leadership in a legal challenge against the Canada–China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. She served as financial administrator of the Haahuupayak School in Port Alberni.

About the Riding

North Island—Powell River is defined by its resource economy. Campbell River, long known as the salmon capital of the world, serves as a service centre for logging, aquaculture, and mining operations across the northern island. Powell River, accessible only by ferry or floatplane from the rest of the Lower Mainland, grew around its pulp and paper mill, which operated under Catalyst Paper. The northern communities of Port McNeill and Port Hardy depend on forestry, fishing, and tourism, with Port Hardy serving as the southern terminus of the BC Ferries Inside Passage route to Prince Rupert. Federal issues in the riding included fisheries management on the Pacific coast, forestry policy, investment in rural broadband connectivity, and ferry service subsidies critical to communities like Powell River and the smaller islands.