A third candidate has entered Nanaimo’s mayoral race, signalling a broader contest as the city heads toward the fall municipal election.
Health, housing and harm reduction move to centre stage
Sarah Lovegrove, a registered nurse and a professor of nursing at Vancouver Island University, announced on the morning of Aug. 10 that she will seek the city’s top elected office. In doing so she joins incumbent Leonard Krog and declared candidate Anne Marie Dryden, expanding the choice for voters on issues that have dominated local conversations.
Lovegrove, in her late 30s, told CHLY outside Nanaimo City Hall that she initially considered a council bid but decided there was a chance for a progressive mayoral contender to offer an alternative voice. She framed her intentions around addressing the social determinants of health, naming housing affordability and availability, access to health and social services, food security and environmental justice as priorities.
“Everyone I talk to is primarily concerned about what they're seeing on the streets of our community and the number of people suffering, and I don't see a candidate running for mayor right now who's even willing to add…”
Lovegrove highlighted a decade in post-secondary education, including a master's in women and gender studies and a specialty in emergency nursing, and pointed to leadership roles in harm reduction advocacy. She has served on the executive board of the Harm Reduction Nurses Association and, since 2019, on the Nanaimo Community Action Team on the overdose crisis.
What Lovegrove brings to the table
Her campaign announcement emphasises lived and professional experience tied to public health and community care. Those credentials are likely to sharpen debate around responses to homelessness, overdose deaths and the visible signs of social distress in the city’s downtown and neighbourhoods.
- Professional background: Registered nurse, emergency nursing specialty, VIU nursing faculty.
- Advocacy experience: Harm reduction leadership and Nanaimo Community Action Team member on the overdose crisis.
- Policy focus: Housing, health and social services, food security, environmental justice.
Her decision to run for mayor, rather than council, suggests a bid to shape the broader municipal agenda. Lovegrove has already signalled she does not consider the incumbent a progressive choice for the city, positioning herself as an alternative for voters seeking change.
| Candidate | Occupation / Role | Declared priorities |
|---|---|---|
| Sarah Lovegrove | Registered nurse; VIU professor | Housing, health services, harm reduction, environmental justice |
| Leonard Krog | Incumbent mayor | Incumbent platform (not detailed in announcement) |
| Anne Marie Dryden | Declared candidate | Declared candidate (details not in announcement) |
Implications for Nanaimo voters
The entry of a candidate rooted in health-care and harm-reduction networks is likely to sharpen policy discussions at city hall. Issues Lovegrove emphasises — from housing supply to access to social supports — intersect with provincial responsibilities, but municipal approaches can influence zoning decisions, supportive housing projects, emergency response coordination and partnerships with health authorities.
For residents watching the race, the new candidacy expands debate about how Nanaimo should balance growth, public safety and compassionate responses to addiction and homelessness. With municipal councils often responsible for land-use decisions, the mayoral office can be pivotal in setting priorities and leveraging relationships with the province and community organisations.
Lovegrove plans to make her case directly to voters in the coming weeks. The campaign field will now be one to watch as candidates set out platforms and engage neighbourhoods across the city.
Full platforms, campaign financing disclosures and official nomination filings will further clarify how the race shapes up in the lead-up to the election.
