But rather than supporting or voting for a familiar name or pleasant personality, we prefer candidates who believe in driving improved governance and better value for our tax dollar.

Local government is arguably the most important level of government and touches many aspects of our lives. Here is an action-orientated checklist of questions for residents to ask aspiring local politicians prior to nomination:

Are they presenting a specific platform or spouting empty generalities? Few candidates bother to share a meaningful and detailed platform of their priorities.

Are they able to understand and critique a budget worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars? By law municipal budgets must be balanced so difficult choices must be made despite inflation and limits on revenue.

Are they prepared to reduce staff and share more services across the region in order to balance a budget? As many as 25% of staff in some regional municipalities earn $125,000 or more excluding benefits. Operating costs for some municipalities are as high as 57%.

Are they prepared to attend countless council and committee meetings? If they are standing for re-election their attendance records can be checked through council minutes.

Are they a one-or-two issue candidate? There’s probably another few dozen other major issues before most councils which need attention.

Are they of good character? The province has just introduced legislation requiring every municipality to adopt a code of conduct that includes penalties.

Are there potential conflicts of interest? Candidates may receive election donations from unions, developers and others which eventually become part of the public record. Candidates may be running independently or on a slate as part of a political party.

Are they genuinely interested in improving your community or are they motivated by making politics their new career? In recent years many councils have received substantial pay increases for what is usually a part-time job.

Are they focused on renewing infrastructure deficiencies for the next generation? Some municipalities focus more on bright, shiny objects rather than core responsibilities such as improving services such as sewer, water and roads.

Are they supportive of an open municipal government and the taxpayers right to transparent governance? Underlying legislation governing municipalities speaks at length about respecting and honouring the public’s right to know.

Are they prepared to represent and be accountable to the entire community including the business sector, not just those who voted for them? The Community Charter (Sec. 115) states clearly that “every council member must consider the well-being and interests of the municipality and its community.”

Are they supportive of tax rate hikes of three or four times the rate of inflation? The annual rate of inflation in Victoria sits at 2.8%, yet some municipalities are hiking taxes by a multiple of 300 to 400%.

So, what questions will you be asking? Are they up to a challenging job? Do you really want to nominate or vote for that candidate?

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But how much more are you paying for all the municipal services combined compared to four years ago?

The answer can be found in the little-known Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs’ Schedule 704, Taxes and Charges on a Representative House. document. This comprehensive data compares taxes, fees and charges for every municipality in BC. It includes costs for the police, regional government, schools, hospital, BC Transit, and user fees for sewer, water, garbage, and so on.

It’s presented in one handy-dandy chart allowing you to compare all your municipal costs in neighbouring communities.

A so-called ‘representative property’ is calculated by using the assessment value of all single-family residential properties divided by the number of single-family homes. It’s considered more-or-less the average house in a municipality.

For 2022-25, eleven municipalities on the South Island saw those total taxes and various charges increase anywhere from 19.4 to 24.7% and that’s without considering the compounding impact. The outliers for this four-year period were Esquimalt at 26.3% and Langford at 34.2%.

During that same period the consumer price index (CPI) increased 15.5% in Victoria.

So, homeowners will need to decide if they are getting good value for their precious tax dollars in light of the most recent increases. The complete information for 2026 is available later this year, just nicely prior to the fall municipal election.

Escalating wages are making it more and more impossible for B.C. municipalities such as Central Saanich to control budgets.

Labour costs including municipal police in the municipality of 18,000 residents now add up to more than $18 million in 2026. Those costs are the main budget driver amounting to a staggering 60% of the operating budget.

Nearly one-quarter of the 90 municipal and fire department staff in Central Saanich earned more than $125,000 in 2024, the most recent year available. Salaries however were not available for the municipal staff at the Central Saanich Police Service.

Central Saanich is just an example of a much larger problem of a flawed budgeting process across 161 municipalities in the province.

So when you consider membership in this so-called ‘Sunshine List’ doesn’t include benefits such as pension, medical and dental estimated at 25% of salary, it’s alarming. When you consider the average individual income in B.C. is about $65,000, that’s even more alarming.

A ‘Sunshine List’ is a listing of salary, benefit and severance information, a colloquial name referring to the goal of illuminating government expenditures. To be included on the “Sunshine List’ critics suggest hiking the salary benchmark of $100,000 to $125,000 considering wage escalations in recent years.

If this was done, 20 of 90 employees in Central Saanich earned in excess of $125,000. That includes the CEO, the top paid employee, at $212,000 in 2024.

Council recently approved property tax increases of 7.37 per cent for this year. The budget includes funds for the planned replacement of the district’s municipal hall, fire station, police station and municipal yard.

Figures are sourced from the 2024 Statement of Financial Information (SOFI) and the 2026-30 Draft Financial Plan for Central Saanich. Again, figures exclude the Central Saanich Police Service.

Critics of the budget and Central Saanich council recently registered with Elections BC as an elector organization named Sustain OUR Central Saanich. This indicates their plans to run candidates in the fall election.

READ MORE

Opinion: As a taxpayer and citizen, I’ve given enough, Vancouver Sun, May 7, 2026.
https://vancouversun.com/opinion/pete-mcmartin-as-a-taxpayer-and-citizen-ive-given-enough

2024 Statement of Financial Information (SOFI), Central Saanich.

Click to access 2024%20Statement%20of%20Financial%20Information%20Jun%2023.pdf

Draft Financial Plan 2026-30, Central Saanich, May 2025.

Click to access Draft%202026%20Central%20Saanich%20Financial%20Plan_1.pdf

Central Saanich considering 7.37% property tax increase, Times Colonist, Mar. 3, 2026.
https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/central-saanich-considering-737-property-tax-increase-11952092

Sunshine List, Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunshine_list

The province says “…conduct issues can include bullying or harassment in meetings, harassment of staff or disrespectful behaviour between elected officials that can make governing a community challenging.”

In November 2021 the province gave municipalities the option – for some unknown reason – to enact a code of conduct within six months or explain the reason for the decision to residents. The code would regulate activities within council, and behaviour toward municipal staff and the general public.

How did that turn out?

To date about 32% of 161 municipalities and 19% of 27 regional districts never bothered to adopt a code of conduct. And unbelievably, 29% of local governments with a code decided not to have an enforcement mechanism.

Certainly, it’s a step forward if municipalities and regions in BC would follow the same complaint and investigation steps, supported by what are deemed independent investigators.

Likewise, if a defined range of sanctions would be available for the councils and regional boards, including a maximum 90‑day suspension without pay. There also needs to be clear reporting requirements for the public to ensure transparency.

Unfortunately, code of conduct complaints can only be filed by council and staff. So residents and taxpayers would continue to be directly shut out of the process, (although they can ask a council member to file a complaint).

While gleeful about these proposed legislative changes, it remains to be seen if public trust, accountability and transparency will improve here and elsewhere.

The devil, as they say, will be in the details if Bill 17 is passed by this fall.

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Apparently not if you live in Victoria and face a proposed 7.28 percent hike this year.

Council needs reminding that household, family and individual income are all significantly less in the City of Victoria when compared to 12 other municipalities on the South Island.

The most recent figures put the median after-tax income of households in the City of Victoria at $60,000.

This compares to $105,000 in the Highlands, $82,000 in Langford, $104,000 in North Saanich, $93,000 in Oak Bay, and $83,000 in Saanich. You get the picture.

While all these incomes mentioned above are the most recent from the 2021 Census, this trend has remained consistent over the decades. There’s no reason to think that changed dramatically in the last few years.

There are a disproportionate number of low-income workers, seniors, and renters on fixed income in the City of Victoria who are struggling with affordability. They have far less ability to manage compounding rent, food and fuel costs.

With increased property taxes, business owners will very likely have to pass along an increase in goods and services to charge those with limited income (and everyone else) to remain profitable.

City staff are now saying the anticipated tax hike of 11% in 2027 is now likely to be closer to 14% to make up for the reduced reserve contributions and taxation this year. That said, it’s unknown the full impact the grim 2026 BC budget will have on city finances.

It’s well-known there are significant staff cuts planned in 2026 driven by the federal and provincial government, as well as the private sector.

It’s unfortunate our facile, ideological-bound city council won’t give their heads a shake, tighten their belt and restructure their bloated workforce.

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During the fall municipal election voters may want to ask candidates if they will continue to upgrade their abilities.

It’s a question residents in the Capital Regional District are asking after the current term draws to a close and a new one begins this fall. While most of the 100 local politicians may think they are well-qualified, many voters probably think otherwise.

Since elected in 2022, only two local politicians in all 13 municipalities have availed themselves of leadership and knowledge opportunities offered by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM). They recognized there’s a need for education and training of elected officials and launched the Local Government Leadership Academy back in 2010.

The three certificate levels for mayors and councillors are built around ‘developing core competencies for effective governance’ and “increased understanding of both the ‘big picture’ and the ‘fine details’ of governance.”

From 2022 to 2025, only Esquimalt Coun. Jacob Helliwell completed Level 1 and 2 certificates requiring a total of 45 hours of coursework and an elected officials seminar. Mayor Maja Tait, who will not be seeking re-election, completed Level 3.

The electorate must look at each candidate’s work/life’s experience to see if they have the skills necessary to run a large corporation such as a municipality. But it raises questions as to why most local elected officials don’t bother seizing the opportunity to further their education.

Do potential candidates and local governments not know about the training opportunities? Should the UBCM be reviewing the curriculum to ensure it meets their needs? Or do councils feel they don’t need to develop their leadership skills and knowledge base?

Come election time, ask your elected official if they possess sufficient knowledge and leadership skills to help enable effective local governance.

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Following council’s hefty pay increase of 28-38% slated for 2027, the coffee shops in Sidney (and elsewhere) will not only be buzzing from the caffeine.

There are several troubling governance aspects and questions about this issue.

Why did it take 14 years for council salaries to be hiked which finally resulted in this outsized increase?

Why did some councillors vote against making the hike more acceptable to taxpayers by phasing in the increase over the next four years?

Why did Couns. Steve Duck, Scott Garnett and Richard Novak object to postponing the vote until to allow missing councillor Chad Rintoul to attend and weigh in? Was his absence justified during this important vote?

Was there a conflict of interest having staff prepare a report bringing council’s compensation (read, their boss) in line with the median salary of eight other like-sized municipalities in the region?

How meaningful are those comparator salaries when it results in endless and significant bumps in pay across the region?

What happens if the mayor in January 2027 refuses a pay hike, do council salaries still automatically jump by 38%? Will a future council nullify the remuneration bylaw?

Given these questions, it’s expected those candidates running for council this fall will stake out a position on this controversial issue.

The optics of approving big pay hikes – while council is supposedly taming a potential 12.4% property tax jump and voters are struggling with the rising cost of living – are unbelievable.

DIG DEEPER

Sidney council and mayor salaries to increase by 28-38% in 2027, Peninsula News Review, Feb. 10, 2026. https://peninsulanewsreview.com/2026/02/12/sidney-council-and-mayor-salaries-to-increase-by-28-38-in-2027/
https://peninsulanewsreview.com/2026/02/12/sidney-council-and-mayor-salaries-to-increase-by-28-38-in-2027/

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While we agree with the premise that the current model of governance is not working, his remedy to start from scratch to reinvent local government is an unrealistic academic exercise.

There are now about 100 local politicians on the South Island and a 24-member CRD board. The CRD itself functions as a coordinating committee and a service delivery agent, rather than a level of local government that’s elected on a regional basis.

There are currently three electoral areas, namely Juan de Fuca, Southern Gulf Islands and Salt Spring Island.

Salt Spring is governed by a hybrid model combining the CRD for local services, along with the Islands Trust and its two trustees for land-use planning.

In 2023, a new Local Community Commission was elected with a CRD director and four commissioners to oversee 14 CRD services for the island.

While not mentioned, the region includes traditional territories of many First Nations where 11 of these hold reserve lands.

Nowadays, the sheer complexity and self-interest inherent with endless jurisdictions makes it extremely unrealistic that a broken governance model will be fixed easily or quickly.

Mr. Hancock’s support of zero-based budgeting – something we’ve been advocating for a decade – has merit and gets our wholehearted support.

Demanding more integrated and shared services regionally is also a promising strategy to add, especially in light of relentless oversized tax increases.

But, until the provincial government addresses the problems with the structure of local government, there’s a more pragmatic tribute to mark any ‘Diamond Jubilee’ festivities on the South Island. 

During the fall referendum in Victoria and Saanich there’s a significant opportunity to vote to consolidate the governance of half the entire population of 460,000.

Last year the Citizens’ Assembly, an impartial advisory body tasked with representing the residents, investigated the costs, benefits and disadvantages of amalgamation.

It concluded a unified city is the best form of government for the two municipalities.

Ask yourself, isn’t approving the referendum a far more compelling and realistic approach to overcome inertia than starting from scratch to try and reinvent local government?

It’s more worthy of consideration and not an academic exercise.

Does cutting flower baskets create the illusion of a robust debate on priorities and divert taxpayer eyes from an unaffordable 10.44 per cent property tax hike?

Residents can’t help but agree after reviewing the proposed $468 million consolidated budget for 2026 and the city finances.

If you examine the amount of accumulated surplus the City of Victoria had at the end 2024, taxpayers need to ask if council is distracting them from any possible service integration across the region.

The accumulated surplus stood at slightly over one billion dollars, according to the most recent statement of financial information. Granted almost three-quarters of that amount was equity in capital assets like buildings and land.

But about $300 million consists of 12 cash reserves and investments for everything from a financial stability reserve to another for climate action.

How is it that the council can’t find $130,000, a relative pittance, to pay for an iconic feature of a tourist community dubbed the ‘Garden City’? Why not buy flower baskets on the open market?

It seems most municipalities these days start performative budget discussions with an alarming double-digit budget increase, face the public outrage, and then scale back the outsized hike. Critics charge that the budget is sold as a less-painful hike and a compromise.

So what better way than slashing flower baskets to distract from the real issue of governing within realistic fiscally responsible means. How is it that our neighbour Vancouver is promising taxpayers a zero per cent budget increase in 2026?

Since labour costs in Victoria account for a mind-boggling 54 per cent of the operating budget, council has few options other than rationalizing a rapidly growing staff payroll.

There are now 22 staff in the communications and engagement department – twice as many as in 2021 – ready to record and analyze your views on the proposed budget. Residents have until 11.59 pm on Jan. 23.

Sept 28, 2025, CRDWatch.com

There is a Comment in the Times Colonist by Gene Miller entitled:
“Victoria OCP: a triumph of political authority over community.”
Victoria OCP a triumph of political authority over community – Victoria Times Colonist

Gene is a renaissance man who founded Open Space in Victoria in the 1970s, an arts
collective as well as Monday magazine. He has been a going concern and vocal
critic of high-rise development and the loss of human-scale design for decades.
His latest critique of the Mayor and Council, equal parts humorous and
scathing, used a telling description of them – Ebycrats. Intrigued by it I took a
closer look and here is what I found.

That is, in City Hall, a distinctive pattern emerges when examining the
backgrounds and connections of the current Mayor and several Councillors.
Their professional trajectories, policy positions, and personal networks reveal
notable ties to BC’s tallest landlord NDP Premier David Eby – hence “Ebycrats”.

The NDP Network: Victoria’s Municipal-Provincial Nexus.

Victoria’s current municipal leadership displays significant alignment with NDP
networks (plural), raising questions about the degree of partisan influence in
what non-partisan municipal positions are ostensibly.

Mayor Marianne Alto: Family Ties to NDP Government

Mayor Alto’s connections to the provincial NDP are perhaps most evident
through her spouse, Allison Boyd, who currently serves as a Deputy Minister in
the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. This direct family
connection to the NDP government’s senior executive ranks establishes a clear
link between the Mayor’s office and the provincial power structure.

Alto was also previously speculated as a potential federal NDP candidate when
MP Denise Savoie retired in 2012, though she declined to pursue this
opportunity. Her policy positions on housing, infrastructure, and social services
closely mirror NDP priorities, suggesting ideological alignment beyond mere
coincidence.

Councillor Dave Thompson: Married to NDP MLA

Councillor Dave Thompson’s NDP connections are equally significant. His
spouse is Diane Gibson, the NDP MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head. This direct
matrimonial connection to an NDP elected official creates an unmistakable link
between Council chambers and the NDP caucus.

Thompson’s background includes work with the Parkland Institute alongside
Gibson before relocating to Victoria. He currently sits on the Advisory Council of
the Centre for Civic Governance/Columbia Institute which is a progressive think
tank with close ties to labour and NDP-aligned policy positions. Thompson’s
2022 campaign too received endorsements from the Victoria Labour Council
and BCGEU, organisations historically aligned with NDP priorities, although the
current strike is not likely among them!

Councillors with Provincial Government Experience

Several Councillors bring direct experience from within the provincial
government:

Jeremy Caradonna worked as a “senior policymaker for the Province of British
Columbia” focused on climate and green building both key NDP policy areas.
His public commentary on provincial elections and policy positions on
progressive issues like housing and climate action suggest comfortable
alignment with NDP priorities.

Matt Dell has served in multiple roles within the BC government, including as
Director of Legislation in the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training
now under NDP control and continues to serve as a provincial government
employee. His position as Director would have required close collaboration with
NDP ministers and political staff.

Labour Movement Endorsements

The 2022 municipal election saw several successful candidates receive
endorsements from the Victoria Labour Council, effectively running on a labour-
backed slate:

Susan Kim received Victoria Labour Council endorsement and participates in
the Centre for Civic Governance Advisory Council, a progressive municipal policy
initiative historically supported by unions and ideologically adjacent to NDP
positions. Kim shares this membership with Thompson.

Krista Loughton also received Victoria Labour Council endorsement, placing
her within the pro-worker/progressive alignment network typically associated
with NDP interests. Her advocacy on housing, homelessness, and social services
mirrors NDP platform priorities.

In sum the Victoria Labour Council endorsed Kim, Dell, Loughton, and
Thompson. The BCGEU endorsed Alto, Kim, Dell, Loughton, Thompson and
Caradonna and Ben Isitt. Only Isitt was defeated, and which shows in one way
the strength of the union endorsement.

The “Ebycrats” Factor

While municipal governance in BC is officially non-partisan, the concentration of
Councillors and the Mayor with direct or indirect connections to the NDP
creates what some observers have termed the “Ebycrats” phenomenon, namely
municipal officials whose backgrounds, networks, and policy positions align
closely with Premier David Eby’s provincial government.

The problem is this is not how it is supposed to be. The alignment raises
important questions about municipal independence and the degree to which
provincial party politics influence local decision-making. As Victoria faces critical
challenges in housing, transportation, and social services, this opaque
intertwined relationship between city leadership and the provincial governing
party is strangling transparent debate and decision-making in Victoria. It has to
be called out for what it is and answered.