Colwood, Langford, Sooke recognized, and an Ol’ Lump of Coal Award for Victoria council
To recognize extraordinary performance, three municipalities on the South Island are savouring their very first sweet Canada Cane Award from Grumpy Taxpayer$.
The 12-packs of peppermint candy canes, made in Canada for Rose and Robin, were bought on sale in January, 80 percent off the regular price. As a bonus this year – drum roll, please – there’s also a ‘Lump of Coal’ prize for a particularly awful performance (more about that later) by a municipality.
Our top prize goes to Colwood council for recognizing a critical health need in their community and stepping in to do something about it by starting up a medical clinic.
“Council stepped into a void left when the province failed to deliver on its responsibilities and is set to open a medical clinic in 2025,” says John Treleaven, chair of Grumpy Taxpayer$.
“The well-being of their residents is one of their top priorities, and in our view, defensible even though it’s normally outside their role as a municipality.”
Starting in 2025 the Colwood Medical Clinic will provide family doctors to residents and will be recruited and employed by the City of Colwood. The clinic will be leased and managed by the municipality which plans to recruit eight doctors to service as many as 10,000 residents.
Second place goes to the Langford for updating its council travel expense policy that dated back to 2006.
“Residents get very testy about any abuse or perceived abuse of expense accounts,” says Treleaven.
By adopting a revised expense policy that’s fairer and tied to inflation, it’s removed what was an unnecessary sore spot with taxpayers, Bartlett says.
It’s hoped this will prompt a review of all stale dated policies that Langford operates under today, adds Treleaven.
Third place honours goes to the newly-minted MLA Dana Lajeunesse who decided to not double dip and to resign his seat from Sooke council.
“When elected to the legislature most – but not all politicians – resign immediately from local government (or school boards),” says Stan Bartlett, vice chair of Grumpy Taxpayer$.
There are no rules for double dipping under BC’s Election Act that prohibit politicians from being elected at two places at once or requiring them to resign. BC MLAs are paid $119,532.72 in annual basic compensation and receive very substantial top ups for other appointments.
In 1995, a private members bill called the Dual Elected Office Prohibition Act would have required elected local politicians to resign once elected as an MLA. Unfortunately the proposed legislation was defeated (leaving another glaring gap in the underlying legislation governing municipalities).
Mr. Lajeunesse took unpaid leave from council during the election and was on the provincial payroll once elected on Oct. 19. He eventually resigned several weeks later on Nov. 7.
The first-ever “Ol’ Lump of Coal Award” to Victoria.
It goes to the City of Victoria council – with the exception of Couns. Marg Gardiner and Stephen Hammond – for its inept governance around a deplorable pay heist this summer.
“It was a move unique in its self-dealing, its complete disregard for community/taxpayer interests, corrupted supporting evidence and potential for longer term destructive consequences,” says Treleaven.
“This governance failure around remuneration will be a key election issue for taxpayers in 2026.”
After months of reports, debate and public push back, council voted a small pay increase this year, but a very substantial increase for the next council. This was done after a Council Remuneration Task Force failed to establish if the positions were even full-time.
After all the hikes are added up, in 2026 the mayor will receive an estimated 25% increase and council 40%, according to staff estimates. This excludes any pay increases in the $24,000 or more annually the mayor and three councillors receive as sitting CRD directors.
And finally, just so you know, there’s a debate about the origin of candy canes.
Wikipedia references 1670 when a German choirmaster gave the kids ‘sugar sticks’ to keep them quiet during worship services. The Sugar Association suggests the first documented use of candy canes in Christmas decor (trees) dates back to 1847.