Sarah Riddell has always been a problem-solving, get-things-done-yourself type of person and that attitude has led her to be the NDP candidate for Saanich North and the Islands.
It all started with 15 years in public service, which included working her way up to senior manager in the auditor general's office. When she evaluated the physician compensation model in 2012, she realized change was needed; a moment that proved pivotal in her career.
"I didn't want to study a problem for a year, make some suggestions to the politicians and then not see it followed through. So I asked myself, 'Where can you get in the middle of everything in healthcare?'"
The answer was to become the director of the MSP payment schedule, which she did. Since the new pay model has been implemented, experts say the changes have helped and the number of doctors practising longitudinal family medicine has increased by more than 700.
While seeing the problem through was a milestone in her career, it wasn't until becoming a mom that Riddell found her path into politics.
Riddell is a parent to IVF children, and the NDP's 2024 announcement that the government of B.C. will pay for 1 round of in-vitro fertilization starting in 2025, is one she stands strongly behind.
"I used to be the person in government who got all the letters from people who could not afford it and [therefore] could not have a family. That has a massive impact on people's lives," she said. The average cost of one cycle of IVF is between $15,000 and $20,000.
Riddell had her children, Clayton and Alicia, after moving to Brentwood Bay in 2016. After becoming a parent, she realized there was a missing representation on council.
"I went to write a letter to council and discovered there were no women on our council at all," she said. Coming up short in a search to support a woman to run, she decided to run herself.
Since elected to Central Saanich council in 2022, she has helped implement changes affecting families and women, such as bringing forward a splash park for Centennial Park, championing active transportation, and leading the motion to roll out free menstrual products across the district.
At 39, what drives her the most in her political career is being invested in the long-term success of the community. When asked to run provincially for the NDP, she agreed and expressed with conviction that the current NDP provincial government is on the right path, including in housing, the environment and healthcare.
"I want to make sure we're not cutting funding. We're not breaking promises to our healthcare practitioners that we're continuing to move forward because it really took us 20 years to get to this place," she said.
And Riddell continues forward with the same go-getter attitude.
"I'm motivated by my love for this community and desire to make a real difference. After having kids, I decided I needed to do more to make our community and province a better place for them."
