If you thought the residential property tax increase of 9.34% was startling this year, consider there may be hikes of more than 40% before the next elected council finishes their term.

It doesn’t take an accountant to predict that taxpayers are in for a few more body blows.

If initial estimates are any indication, the 2026-2030 Financial Plan for Victoria forecasts municipal tax increases of 13.43% in 2027, 9.77% in 2028, 8.68% in 2029, and 7.5% in 2030. What’s often overlooked is the compounding impact of those increases.

On top of that, residential homeowners will again see a percentage added annually to the tax increase as a result of shifts to reduce the amount business pays. Last year there was a shift of burden in the tax rate of 1.2% and 2.1% in 2026.

These are very preliminary city estimates. They are based on various assumptions such as assessments, inflation, revenue, cost projections and other factors.

Remember, these forecasts exclude other items that comprise your total tax notice. It’s unlikely those taxes collected on behalf of schools and levies collected for five other agencies will decrease.
A case in point, for some unexplained reason this scribe’s new ‘residential school tax’ increased year-over-year by 500%. And that’s not a typo.

There’s clearly resonance in Steve Orcherton’s rant “Truth, truthfulness and property tax notice shock” when he argues that Victoria homeowners deserve the full truth about soaring tax increases.
The new council will be faced with tough choices and require an entirely new and frugal approach to governing to retain quality critical services. The fractured governance model across the region we are forced to endure is unsustainable.

Maybe the only council candidates to elect are accountants who can read a financial statement and demand more fiscal discipline?

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Long after this fall’s municipal election bike lanes will continue to be a passionately debated topic attracting varying and compelling opinions in the media on what seems like a daily basis.

It would be helpful if our municipal luminaries and leaders joined together to conduct a third-party review of the existing bike network across all jurisdictions.

Do we know if bike lanes meet their stated objectives? Is traffic congestion increasing and causing pollution issues? Going forward, are there maintenance and cost issues to resolve? How about a cost-benefit analysis? Can the network be better integrated?

The CRD and its newly created Regional Transportation Service is ideally positioned to reach across the municipal borders, conduct an analysis and work-up a broader perspective.

The service, designed to coordinate regional transportation, trails, and funding allows for an annual requisition of up to $20 million. Only a few hundred residents opposed the CRD funding request so there’s wide acceptance of the need to improve our transportation system.

The increased prevalence of e-bikes, e-mopeds and e-scooters, adds urgency to the task.

Good municipal governance demands that local authorities acknowledge the issues from the perspective of cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. For many supporters, the existing network has considerable merit, but think it’s ‘a good idea ridden too far’ especially in the downtown core area.

It’s believed an independent postmortem would mitigate issues, result in some tweaks and keep more residents in better humour.

Are there any aspiring local politicians that want to pick up the torch in time for GoByBike Week?

Videos

May 21^st – Ryan Windsor Reflects on 13 Years of Leadership in Central Saanich 

https://youtu.be/bCdIWO17Tx8

May 18^th – Karen Harper on Taxes, Efficiency & the Future of Saanich 

https://youtu.be/Z9cZpbx-dfM

May 5^th – Why Greater Victoria Needs More Curious Citizens 

https://youtu.be/-yVqlYF_vQU

May 4^th –  Who Really Pays the Price? Municipal Reality with Mayor John Henderson 

https://youtu.be/E2dm31AJPjg

Articles

May 29^th – The Mayor’s Reconciliation Fundraising Ask 

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7466359023852834816

May 23^rd – ‘Sunshine List’ keeps growing and growing – One-quarter of Central Saanich staff earn $125,000 or more 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sunshine-list-keeps-growing-one-quarter-central-saanich-3rprc

May 1^st – LETTER TO THE EDITOR – Your municipal council is the problem 

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7456042754960281600

Every election candidates ask for the endorsement of Grumpy$ and are declined, but this time we have our very own candidate!

“There’s no law saying I can’t recycle the same platform in all 13 municipalities, the CRD and every other agency that pays, so that’s what I’m going to do,” says Ron Jeremiah Grump.

“If you must waste your vote, waste it on me.”

Grump hopes to capitalize on the widespread disaffection among voters without dependable transportation who are waiting for the regional transportation service to improve gridlock on bike paths.

“We are in a vicious cycle. For those of you that ride your bike twice a day, that’s not recycling. Remember, it gets more expensive to buy a tire pump every year, all because of inflation.”

Grump dresses in red from head-to-toe to draw attention to ballooning municipal budgets.

Besides the made-in-China bike-for-all pledge, Grump promises unlimited mocktails from your tap at every household and the creation of a 22-municipality region called Victoriapolis (one more than the Lower Mainland!). AI would free people from the need to work, and an individual mother figure for everyone would help combat feelings of loneliness.

“Name one other candidate that will give you a set of wheels?” he asks. “Name one other candidate that even offers a clearly articulated vision, management experience and political affiliations?”

As an extra incentive for renters – who tend not to bother voting – Grump will give a discount of 50% for selfies taken with him outside the voting stations.

For those with fur babies, a fire hydrant in front of every home and government contracts to anyone who will play fetch with him.

Finally, instead of endless council meetings by endless municipalities, Grump hopes to streamline governance.

“Instead of 100 local politicians, why not elect 1,000 with each serving a week so everyone gets a try? Local politicians will be elected as volunteers and no longer paid, but swear to help out their community instead of themselves. The only non-taxable benefit would be a rubber boot allowance to make it easier to visit constituents.”

There’s Toronto with 3.3 million or so people governed by 25 councillors and a mayor, then it’s high time Dysfunction-by-the-sea tried something different.

Grump argues he will probably change his platform before and during the campaign, and once elected and removed from office.

So, are you ready for change? Grump says he’s the antidote for those suffering from political depression.

Why can’t Langford and Sidney councils bother to follow their own best practices on remuneration that were developed by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM)?

The next mayor of Langford will see a pay bump of $30,000 or 24% to $124,656, while each councillor will have their compensation increased by $13,600 or 28% to $47,817 a year.

The UBCM council and board remuneration guide recommends reviews should be done at least a year prior to the next general election, not eight months.

As for transparency and communicating with the public, Langford still doesn’t publicly post pay or benefits from city duties or those as a result of their position.

The next mayor of Sidney will see a pay hike of $13,612 or 28% to $61,872, while each councillor will have their pay boosted by $7,328 or 38% to $26,605.

This salary review also wasn’t done at least a year prior to the next general election. The important remuneration bylaw was then adopted despite the absence of one councillor.

The UBCM also recommends a third-party consultant or community task force to recommend pay levels. When staff recommend pay increases for their bosses, it puts them in a conflict of interest situation.

All the compensation mentioned above are for base salaries only and take effect after the next election. Unfortunately, there was no discussion about additional pay received as a result of their position, any taxpayer-paid extended benefits or the council expense policy.

Neither hefty salary increase was discussed as a way to lower the proposed 15.13% property tax increase in Langford and the 12.4% hike now under consideration in Sidney.

Councils shouldn’t wonder why they struggle with public credibility and why some taxpayers are gnarly.

There’s never been greater need for change at municipal governments on the South Island.

The proposed City of Victoria budget at 10.44 % is described by Grumpy Taxpayer$ as ‘unworldly’ when compared to other large BC cities.

In smaller communities, Langford hopes to tame a projected 15.61% tax increase for 2026 over the next several months. Esquimalt council is looking for ways to reduce a proposed 13 per cent property-tax increase to single digits.

There are a number of large civic infrastructure projects planned such as the Crystal Pool in Victoria, the public works yard in Saanich, multiple community buildings in Central Saanich, a Westshore RCMP detachment, and so on. It would be wise for taxpayers to monitor these costly projects.

Water and sewer rates across the region have seen huge hikes to the dismay of homeowners.

You get the picture.

SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

We are a non-profit, non partisan, citizen’s group advocating for better governance and better value for our tax dollar. We are ready for change.

Thanks to the support of members, Grumpy Taxpayer$ has established a new social media presence. Enjoy and let us know what you think.

Reddit Site – https://www.reddit.com/user/GrumpyTaxpayers/

Instagram Site – https://www.instagram.com/grumpytaxpayers

Threads Site – https://www.threads.com/@grumpytaxpayers

YouTube Site – https://www.youtube.com/@GrumpyTaxpayersofVictoria

LinkedIn Site – https://www.linkedin.com/company/grumpy-taxpayer/

Twitter Site – https://x.com/grumpytaxpayer1

Thank you for your continued support.

~ John Treleaven, Chair of Grumpy Taxpayer$

Not well at all.

Five cities have already approved their budget for 2026 and include Chilliwack (4.9%), Delta (2.9%), City of Langley (5.82%), Kelowna (4.37%), and Coquitlam (3.37%).

As yet, there’s no budget proposal from Surrey and Abbotsford: Surrey is trying to grapple with their police budget following the provincial decision to move forward with the transition to the Surrey Police Service. Abbotsford has delayed deliberations until February as a result of proposed changes to pipeline property tax assessments.

There are six other cities working on their latest proposed budget increases which include City of North Vancouver (2.9%), Maple Ridge (3.5%), Nanaimo (6.3%), Richmond (3.04%), Kamloops (6.7%), Burnaby (4.8%), and Vancouver (0%).

Neighbouring Saanich initially proposed a hike of 8.74%, but the revised goal is less than 5%.

Then there is Victoria (which seemingly operates in a different galaxy far, far away) asking for a startling 10.44%.

The city staff report in the fall suggested nearly $18.3 million in savings by re-evaluating operational efficiencies over a five-year plan got a muted response from council.

Of the more than 200 services and programs provided by the city, are there some that can be eliminated or privatized? How can a doubling of staff to 34 since 2021 in the department of people and culture be justified?

What are the staff costs to regulate short-term rentals properties as a result of new provincial legislation? Can some budget costs be attributed to lawsuits against the city? How much revenue is foregone because of unpaid parking tickets?

Often the outliers in the province, why-oh-why is the mayor and council asking for a gut-wrenching hike of 10.44%?

Outstandingly sweet Candy Cane Awards 2025 !

Saanich, Colwood and Central Saanich recognized, but Lump of Coal Award for CRD

To recognize extraordinary performance, three municipalities on the South Island are enjoying an outstandingly sweet Candy Cane Award from Grumpy Taxpayer$.

The 12-packs of ‘Jet-puffed candy cane with artificial marshmallow flavour with no nutrient value,’ made in another country by Kraft, were bought on sale a year ago at a considerable discount. 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 local regional government.

Our top prize goes to Saanich council for eventually recognizing many taxpayers are struggling and that some financial moderation was required in the new 93-million operations yard.

“A long-delayed but scaled-back modern operations yard in Saanich is absolutely critical for the region’s largest municipality,” says John Treleaven, chair of Grumpy Taxpayer$.

“It’s clear affordability is a top priority these days for most taxpayers and financial restraint is certainly necessary on very expensive capital projects.”

Council initially proposed a $172-million redevelopment plan that would have included a new operations centre alongside a mixed-use project to be developed in partnership with a private developer, with a large housing component and towers up to 18 stories.

Second place goes to Colwood for introducing a performance management dashboard tool to help better govern a municipality.

“Taxpayers know how challenging it is to manage any municipality, especially one that’s growing quickly such as Colwood. Taxpayers know tax dollars are increasingly precious and limited and so better governance is vital,” says Treleaven.

The real benefit and objective is to drive the achievement of their strategic plan into every manager and indeed every employee’s job description /evaluation, says Treleaven. Local governments face “unique pressures including multi-stakeholders, service delivery complexity and short term political cycles along with the need for long-term planning.”

A performance dashboard, using Power BI, within the City’s operational plan represents a significant advancement in management, providing real-time visibility into organizational performance across multiple dimensions. The City is currently implementing a new budget management tool, and this tool will support future financial and operations updates.

Third place honours goes to Central Saanich for taking an assertive approach in getting the province to finally build a flyover off Highway 17 at Keating Cross.

“To accomplish what Central Saanich has done, it took ambition, courage and dedication to the public good not widely or frequently seen around here,” says Treleaven.

By eliminating the need to turn across busy highway traffic and reducing congestion, the overpass project improves safety dramatically.

Construction began in June 2023, opened to northbound traffic in July 2025 and is now almost complete. The project cost $76.8 million and Central Saanich taxpayers contributed $2.5 million.

The second-ever “ Lump of Coal Award” to the CRD for taking more than a half century before it decided to form a regional transportation service.

“Whether it’s congestion or gridlock, every resident in the region knows the transportation system on the South Island has needed improvements for decades,” says Treleaven.

“Governance failures around transportation policy in general are effectively a stunning indictment of our failed system of local government,” say Treleaven. “That includes the failure of the CRD to lead or ensure the province build a full exchange to facilitate southbound traffic, not just a flyover to Keating Cross in Central Saanich.”

In November 2025, after almost 60 years, the 13 mayors in the region decided to establish a Regional Transportation Service and finally introduced a bylaw to do so.

And by the way, 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.

Available for Media Interviews:

John Treleaven, Chair, Grumpy Taxpayer$

treleavengroup@shaw.ca

250.656.7899, cell 250.588.7899

Stan Bartlett, Director, Grumpy Taxpayer$

grumpytaxpayers@gmail.com

250-477-9907

The Victoria City Council is asking staff the wrong question. Asking staff to recommend ways to reduce the $38M increase in their provisional 2026 Budget will not achieve meaningful results.

Governance best practice would have the Council establish the desired outcome, and lead by setting a target. For example, the Vancouver Council has asked staff to develop a budget with a 0% increase, and in Colwood, the budget target is a 2% increase.

To get serious, labour costs need to be addressed.

Labour costs account for 54% of the City of Victoria’s operating costs. What is shocking is that staffing has increased by 68%, from 868 in 2019 to 1460 in 2024.

When higher wages, benefits, and pensions are considered, the average cost per employee rose by roughly 25% in the same period. Inflation for this period is estimated to be 19% to 21% based on the CPI for the Greater Victoria region.

Taxes have increased 35% since 2019. Development costs charges paid for by homebuyers and renters have increased by 258%. A 2026 tax increase of 13.3% is unacceptable.

Fewer hanging baskets don’t cut it. Clearly, substantive labour cost cuts are needed to reduce the proposed budget. Asking staff for recommendations to reduce their own proposed budget won’t do it.

Richard A. Rowland’s popularized phrase, ‘The inmates are running the asylum,’ seems an appropriate metaphor for the dysfunctional governance in Victoria.

DIG DEEPER

Victoria council votes down motion to scrap raises next year, Victoria Times Colonist, Nov. 15, 2025.

An estimated 400 jobs could be cut at City of Vancouver, Business in Vancouver, Nov. 6, 2025.

Economic growth starts with tax restraint

Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce’s new CEO John Wilson is calling on all 13 municipalities in the Capital Regional District (CRD) to hold the line on property tax increases in 2026.

This follows Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s proposed property tax freeze in his final budget before next year’s election.

“As local governments across B.C. begin their budget processes this fall, they have an opportunity to demonstrate that they truly support local economic growth. That support starts with restraint,” says Wilson.

“The past five years have buffeted society with wave after wave of challenges: Ongoing disruptions to Canada’s trading relationship with the U.S. continue to cause economic uncertainty. But these broader issues make it even more important for municipalities to stay focused on their core responsibilities. Local governments don’t help anyone by spending beyond their means.”

Property taxes are not paid by property owners alone. Any increase ultimately leads to higher rents and higher costs for the goods and services businesses provide. That’s a burden every resident feels, says Wilson.

DIG DEEPER

Municipalities must focus on needs not wants this budget season, Business Examiner, Oct. 28, 2025.

Victoria chamber CEO calls on CRD municipalities for budget cuts to reach 0% property tax increase, CHEK News, Oct. 29, 2025.

Taxpayers report warns that B.C.’s debt is exploding, Canadian Taxpayers Federation (BC), Oct. 29, 2025.