Courtenay-Comox

Courtenay-Comox takes in the Comox Valley on the east coast of central Vancouver Island, a scenic lowland bounded by the Beaufort Range to the west and the waters of Baynes Sound and the Strait of Georgia to the east. The riding encompasses the City of Courtenay, the Town of Comox, the Village of Cumberland, and surrounding rural areas including K'omoks First Nation territory. The valley's economy is anchored by 19 Wing CFB Comox — one of the largest military installations on Canada's west coast — alongside a healthcare sector built around the North Island Hospital, a growing retirement and lifestyle-migration population, outdoor recreation tied to Mount Washington Alpine Resort, and a productive agricultural base in dairy, poultry, shellfish aquaculture, and the farm-to-table food movement.

Two-term NDP incumbent Ronna-Rae Leonard — who had first won the seat by just 189 votes in 2017 — sought a third term against Conservative candidate Brennan Day, who had previously run as the BC Liberal candidate in 2020, and Green candidate Arzeena Hamir, a former Comox Valley Regional District director. The three-way race in a riding with a significant Green vote share made Courtenay-Comox one of the most closely watched contests on Vancouver Island.

Candidates

Brennan Day (Conservative Party of BC) — Day was a thirty-year resident of the Comox Valley with a background in political science and international relations from Vancouver Island University. His professional career included managing large-scale international projects and founding an industrial supply and training firm. He also served as executive director of the Eureka Support Society, a mental health service provider in Courtenay. Day had previously contested the riding as the BC Liberal candidate in 2020, and transitioned to the Conservative banner as the centre-right coalition reorganized ahead of the 2024 election.

Ronna-Rae Leonard (BC NDP) — A resident of the Comox Valley for more than three decades, Leonard brought a long record of public service that began with her election to Courtenay city council in 2005. Over nine years in municipal politics, she spearheaded the Comox Valley Cycling Task Force and a housing-focused task force, chaired the Vancouver Island Regional Library Board, and sat on the elected executive of the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities. Before entering politics, she worked as an environmental researcher and consultant with local streamkeeper organizations and served as a paralegal in the provincial Ombudsperson's office.

Arzeena Hamir (BC Green Party) — Hamir was an agronomist, organic farmer, and former director for Area B in the Comox Valley Regional District from 2018 to 2022. She founded the Mid Island Farmers Institute, helped establish the Comox Valley Organic Cooperative, and sat on multiple agricultural advisory boards. Before moving to Vancouver Island, she had spearheaded a ban on cosmetic pesticides and genetically modified organisms in the City of Richmond. Hamir left the NDP to run for the Greens, citing frustration with the governing party's record on climate and environmental policy.

Independent candidates John Hedican and Devin Howell also contested the riding.

Local Issues

Healthcare delivery and physician recruitment were the most frequently raised concerns in a riding whose population had grown substantially through retirement migration and military transfers. The North Island Hospital — which opened its Comox Valley campus in 2017 — saw emergency department volumes increase significantly in the years that followed, straining capacity and contributing to long wait times. Lab staffing shortages forced Island Health to close a satellite outpatient lab in Courtenay in October 2021, directing patients to the hospital campus instead. The NDP government invested in primary care networks across the region, but candidates debated whether recruitment incentives and team-based care models were adequate to meet the needs of a community where population growth continued to outpace the healthcare workforce.

Military housing and the broader affordability crisis in the Comox Valley were deeply intertwined issues. The planned expansion of 19 Wing CFB Comox — which was expected to bring additional members to the area over the following decade — collided with a housing market in which vacancy rates were near zero and rental costs had climbed steeply since the pandemic. A Canadian Forces Housing Agency project to build apartment buildings at the base was underway, but existing military housing was at full capacity with persistent waitlists. The Department of National Defence subsequently purchased a fifty-two-unit apartment building in Courtenay as a stopgap measure, underscoring the severity of the shortage. Civilian residents faced similar pressures, with the cost of homeownership in the valley rising well beyond what local wages could support.

Environmental stewardship and climate adaptation resonated strongly in a riding where the farm-to-table food movement, shellfish aquaculture in Baynes Sound, and outdoor recreation were central to both the economy and community identity. The Comox Valley experienced the effects of the June 2021 heat dome and subsequent drought conditions that stressed water supplies and agricultural operations. Hamir's campaign drew significant support by emphasizing climate action and sustainable land use, while Day and Leonard debated the balance between economic development and environmental protection in a region where forestry, aquaculture, and tourism all depended on ecological health.