It’s a great start, but there are three other actions needed to truly succeed in renewing local governance for the next generation.

First, bring stability to the revolving door at Municipal Affairs. Over the past 25 years, this portfolio has suffered from frequent turnover and constant restructuring. The local government ministry has been renamed or shuffled eight or nine times during this quarter-century. The BC Conservatives must elevate this ministry to a senior level and appoint an experienced, capable minister dedicated to long-term reform and renewal.

Second, modernize our outdated legislative framework. The Local Government Act and the Community Charter are badly in need of a comprehensive update. Both frameworks were designed for the realities of the last century, not the complex demands of today.

Third, and most importantly, reinstate the office of the Auditor General for Local Government. Closed by the NDP in 2021, this independent office is vital. Performance audits establish a transparent, factual basis for troubling local issues and provide shared lessons that benefit all municipalities.

Local government is inherently messy, personal, and challenging. However, the province now has a rare opportunity to fix historical failings by resetting its relationship with taxpayers, local governments and the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM).

Municipal taxpayers recognize that leadership and governance changes are desperately needed. Recent record voter turnouts and a wave of newly elected mayors and councillors across the South Island and beyond signal a clear mandate.

As creations of the province, BC’s 162 municipalities and 27 regional districts deliver the critical daily programs and initiatives that impact citizens most. And we must not forget that the provincial economy is built from the ground up at the municipal level every single day.

These three structural renewals are relatively inexpensive promises to keep. Implementing them would go a long way to restoring accountability and unlikely to blow further holes in the inherited fiscal mess.

Sources:

Here’s what the B.C. Conservatives promised to do when elected
https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/heres-what-the-bc-conservatives-promised-to-do-if-elected/

Conservatives Vow To End NDP Election Chaos
https://conservativebc.ca/conservatives-vow-to-end-ndp-election-chaos/

CivicInfo BC
https://localelections.ca/results/index_m.html

B.C. government spent its way into fiscal disaster—here’s the first step to fix it, Fraser Institute, Sept. 14, 2026.
https://www.fraserinstitute.org/commentary/bc-government-spent-its-way-fiscal-disaster-heres-first-step-fix-it

BC Auditor for Local Government, BC Government, 2021.
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/local-governments/facts-framework/local-government-system-organizations/aglg

Gus ran a great campaign and got to be the honorary Dog Mayor in Kitimat for the next four years.

The Dog Mayor Campaign was the brainchild of Kitimat council which aimed to encourage youth engagement and promote greater turnout.

It succeeded in being an innovative approach: Turnout for residents in this election was at 33 percent, compared to only 22 percent of eligible voters in 2022.

CBC reports that “Both canines have been campaigning diligently by visiting local classrooms, and even marching in the Canada Day parade on July 1.”

The Australian labradoodle Gus scored 560 votes, versus the golden doodle Koko with 435.

Gus campaigned on more fire hydrants “for obvious reasons” and improved poop bag access in local parks. Koko promised pet-friendly emergency sirens and “dog days” at the local pool. 

So there are lessons here for municipalities on the South Island where our furry friends are everywhere. Residential voter turnout in this election improved, but it’s still well below that in provincial and federal elections.

By the way, proving they are true politicians, both canines also campaigned on a promise of lower taxes.

https://localelections.ca/election_results/56_2026_results.html

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/kitimat-dog-mayor-race-9.7382752

https://www.kitimat.ca/municipal-office/dog-mayor

https://www.capitaldaily.ca/news/more-voters-turn-out-for-civic-vote-but-numbers-still-below-50?utm_source=CapitalDaily&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=oct-20-more-voters-for-civic-election&_bhlid=8c27d44df40df75a267ec7a8de7eab87e190fab4

CORRECTION: This story originally ran in Aug. 2025 and incorrectly indicated Mr Colin Plant  took an approved absence to run federally from May 2024 to April 2025. In fact, his leave was approved in Feb. 2025 by council and he did not take it until Mr. Carney called the election in the spring.

It’s almost the end of a four-year term and residents are starting to think about who will get their precious municipal vote.

Come judgment day next fall, trying to figure out who to run your community can be a daunting task. Most people will vote on past performance and if a mayor or councillor helps to make their lives better, happier or municipality better. While others might look for advice from their bartender, barber, hairdresser, taxi driver, local labour council, or even Great Aunt Matilda.

Since councils are elected to pass bylaws, provide good governance and value for the tax dollar, one important measure to consider is whether the mayor or councillor has actually been showing up for votes.

If you are a Victoria or Saanich resident it’s fairly easy to find out.

A so-called ‘council meeting dashboard’ in Victoria has been operational during this term which makes it easy to track how your favourite council member voted or whether they declared a conflict of interest.

As for absences during the 675 votes cast since November 2022, Coun. Susan Kim missed 54, Krista Loughton, 50 and Chris Coleman, 36. Everyone else was usually present for votes.

Some, but not all, council meetings were missed due to illness. Other absences can be attributed to attending a conference or meeting on behalf of the city.

In Saanich, a new ‘council voting dashboard tool’ was started this spring to improve public transparency and accessibility. The tool also provides a visual and user-friendly way for residents to track how councillors vote on specific issues at council meetings. It tabulates all council, committee-of-the-whole plus public hearings.

Importantly, the dashboard registers only 794 vote results in the last year. As agendas were solely paper-based and not digital, there are no plans to extend records to the start of the term in 2022, the District of Saanich told Grumpy Taxpayer$.

Up Aug. 24, for a variety of reasons, four councillors were absent during a significant number of votes – Couns. Judy Brownoff missed 125, Nathalie Chambers missed 85, and Karen Harper, 51.

Coun. Colin Plant was absent for 208 votes. A leave of absence was approved in Feb. 2025 by council but he did not take it until Mr. Carney called the election. During the last federal election he ran unsuccessfully for the NDP in the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding.

In both Victoria and Saanich voters can determine if their local politician showed up for a vote that’s dear to their heart and to learn how they voted on the matter.

But unfortunately, no other municipalities in the region offer this service to help improve transparency and provide better governance.

So residents in these jurisdictions – including the larger and rapidly growing municipalities of Langford, Esquimalt and Colwood – will need to roll up their sleeves to do their own detective work.

The attendance records of all of the 100 local politicians on the South Island can be found through the video recordings or minutes of dozens if not hundreds of council meetings.
So good luck, as always, in our beloved Dysfunction-by-the-Sea.

DIG DEEPER

Saanich Council Voting Dashboard, District of Saanich, 2025.

https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/local-government/mayor-council/schedule-agendas-minutes/voting-dashboard.html

Saanich launches innovative Council Voting Dashboard Tool, Saanich News, Mar. 3, 2025.

https://www.saanichnews.com/local-news/saanich-launches-new-voting-dashboard-to-improve-transparency-7856087

City of Victoria Meeting Dashboard, 2025.

https://opendata.victoria.ca/pages/mayor-and-council

It’s almost the end of a four-year term and residents are starting to think about who will get their precious municipal vote.

Come judgment day next fall, trying to figure out who to run your community can be a daunting task. Most people will vote on past performance and if a mayor or councillor helps to make their lives better, happier or municipality better. While others might look for advice from their bartender, barber, hairdresser, taxi driver, local labour council, or even Great Aunt Matilda.

Since councils are elected to pass bylaws, provide good governance and value for the tax dollar, one important measure to consider is whether the mayor or councillor has actually been showing up for votes.

If you are a Victoria or Saanich resident it’s fairly easy to find out.

A so-called ‘council meeting dashboard’ in Victoria has been operational during this term which makes it easy to track how your favourite council member voted or whether they declared a conflict of interest.

As for absences during the 675 votes cast since November 2022, Coun. Susan Kim missed 54, Krista Loughton, 50 and Chris Coleman, 36. Everyone else was usually present for votes.

Some, but not all, council meetings were missed due to illness. Other absences can be attributed to attending a conference or meeting on behalf of the city.

In Saanich, a new ‘council voting dashboard tool’ was started this spring to improve public transparency and accessibility. The tool also provides a visual and user-friendly way for residents to track how councillors vote on specific issues at council meetings. It tabulates all council, committee-of-the-whole plus public hearings.

Importantly, the dashboard registers only 794 vote results in the last year. As agendas were solely paper-based and not digital, there are no plans to extend records to the start of the term in 2022, the District of Saanich told Grumpy Taxpayer$.

Up Aug. 24, for a variety of reasons, four councillors were absent during a significant number of votes – Couns. Judy Brownoff missed 125, Nathalie Chambers missed 85, and Karen Harper, 51.

Colin Plant, who took a leave of absence from May 2024 to April 2025, was absent for 208 votes. During the last federal election he ran unsuccessfully for the NDP in the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding.
In both Victoria and Saanich voters can determine if their local politician showed up for a vote that’s dear to their heart and to learn how they voted on the matter.

But unfortunately, no other municipalities in the region offer this service to help improve transparency and provide better governance.

So residents in these jurisdictions – including the larger and rapidly growing municipalities of Langford, Esquimalt and Colwood – will need to roll up their sleeves to do their own detective work.

The attendance records of all of the 100 local politicians on the South Island can be found through the video recordings or minutes of dozens if not hundreds of council meetings.
So good luck, as always, in our beloved Dysfunction-by-the-Sea.

DIG DEEPER

Saanich Council Voting Dashboard, District of Saanich, 2025.

https://www.saanich.ca/EN/main/local-government/mayor-council/schedule-agendas-minutes/voting-dashboard.html

Saanich launches innovative Council Voting Dashboard Tool, Saanich News, Mar. 3, 2025.

https://www.saanichnews.com/local-news/saanich-launches-new-voting-dashboard-to-improve-transparency-7856087

City of Victoria Meeting Dashboard, 2025.

https://opendata.victoria.ca/pages/mayor-and-council

Voters on the South Island are facing unprecedented democratic whiplash.

Thanks to Premier David Eby and the NDP, residents are being forced to navigate parallel elections simultaneously. On top of sorting out 13 municipalities, the CRD, and local school boards, they must now sort out seven provincial ridings and a sudden influx of candidates.

Critics, including the municipal advocacy group Grumpy Taxpayer$, view the provincial decision as an unnecessary attack on democracy. Justifying an election two years early on the basis of an ‘existential’ tariff war is laughable, and frankly, so much horsefeathers.

What is certainly horsefeathers as well, is the political opportunism at play as a result of the chaos and leadership resignations among opposition parties.

The election call ignores the reality that local communities are struggling with an endless array of immediate issues. Those must be urgently discussed and debated fully by civic candidates and residents over the next few weeks, not sidetracked by the current provincial morass. The election could easily have waited a few weeks.

While legal and within the rules, calling an Oct. 24 election is arguably unethical and reinforces the cynical view of politicians in general. Instead, this unprecedented snap election has raised a lot of troubling questions that local residents want to fire right back at the government.

Chief among those questions is how local governance is being disregarded. While final counts for clear majorities aren’t done, the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) described their call for the province not to hold a competing election as “overwhelming”. There are an estimated 3,500 candidates currently running for election across 161 municipalities whose platforms are now fighting for oxygen.

History shows that voters do not take kindly to this brand of opportunistic political gambling. When the Ontario provincial government tried a similar snap election maneuver in 1990, voters viewed the Liberals as arrogant and the election as entirely unnecessary. The government was resoundingly tossed from office, and even the premier lost his seat.

Eby’s gamble is particularly reckless given the fragile state of provincial finances. British Columbia’s credit rating has already faced five consecutive downgrades by major rating agencies thanks to record entrenched deficits and rising debt levels.

Most recently, the province’s first quarterly report projected the 2026-27 deficit to reach an astronomical $13.8 billion. A mere $450 million increase from February’s budget projection partly because of a government calculation error in natural gas revenue projections. Because downgrades greatly impact provincial borrowing costs, adding more debt right now is fiscal malpractice.

Yet, taxpayers are being left to foot a massive, unbudgeted bill for this snap vote. Back in February, BC Elections requested $50-million in supplemental funding to start getting ready, which was denied. That request had to be made again earlier in September, and that massive cost will be tacked directly onto our growing debt.

BC Elections put the cost of the 2024 election at $82.4 million, so $100 million this time around is within the realm of possibility.

Taxpayers will also be on the hook for indirect costs; BC’s generous 75 per cent tax credit for the first $100 donated to a political party means that millions in tax dollars will be diverted away from the public treasury and straight into partisan war chests.

Perhaps most concerning is whether BC Elections is even equipped to handle this rushed timeline. Chief Electoral Officer Shipra Verma explicitly warned the Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services that her office requires at least four to six months of lead time to be safely “election-ready.” The consequences of denying them that time, she noted, include “significant challenges in election delivery and ensuring integrity of the democratic process.”

In this moment of manufactured uncertainty, has there been a more breathtaking act of partisan political interest in the modern history of BC? That’s hardly what the Premier characterizes as a ‘firebreak’ against the challenges facing the provinces.

Calling a provincial election now takes political cynicism to its finest moment. It proves once again that power is the only thing that matters—not local government candidates, not municipalities, not voters, and certainly not taxpayers.

-30-

It can be an overwhelming task deciding who to vote for in the Oct. 17 civic election.

Only 31 percent of residents in the capital region bothered to elect mayors and councils in 2022 – the lowest turnout in the last five civic elections – choosing to skip a few minutes that could have changed their life.
There’s a seemingly perfect storm of issues and an abundance of candidates who want your support and may say whatever it takes to get it. But, it’s unlikely you will get to meet them when they are stumping and knocking on your door.

So rather than juggling the social media circus, grab a cuppa (maybe a double-shot of whiskey), and do your homework. Although some sources have biases, they merit consideration.

For starters, the province has assembled a Voter’s Guide to Local Elections (2026) and General Elections 101 which you may find helpful. Most municipal websites post candidate nomination documents, nominee lists, financial snapshots and candidate profiles. While most candidates have their own websites, those may provide only biased insights.

Vote Ready Victoria by resident John Farquharson is the newest source. For independent analysis, he knocked on doors in 2022 for several Victoria council candidates from across the political spectrum.

While using AI, six policy areas are flagged including housing and development, police crime and safety, taxes, budgeting and spending, plus governance.

The key votes on each during the last four years are detailed along with handy links to council minutes.

Livable CRD offers a candidate scorecard for a liveable (Canadian spelling) capital region, for what they say is an easy, informed election decision.

It’s self-described as a coalition of 14 community groups who prepared a transparent scorecard for municipal election candidates across the CRD, so voters can see where candidates stand on the issues that shape daily life. Candidates are asked their various positions.

These issue areas require tax dollars, so it’s unfortunate candidates were not asked their views on taxation. For example, ‘Should the rate of taxation exceed inflation?’ or ‘Should more services be consolidated across the region?’ or ‘Do you support zero-based budgeting?’

All said, it’s impossible for voters to make comparisons to help their decision. For example, as of Sept.12, only six candidates in the City of Victoria returned a questionnaire.

Traditional media such as the Times Colonist, Victoria News and Capital Daily will likely provide similar coverage to what was done in 2022.

The Times Colonist usually publishes brief profiles and unedited answers to a candidate questionnaire for Victoria hopefuls.

Last election this information was published the day before the election. Unfortunately little time remains for voters to do their homework and make an informed decision. Perhaps the media-of-record will publish it a week or two earlier?

Voters can also track down substantial candidate profiles done during the previous few weeks.

Victoria News and Saanich News along with two other Black Press regional papers, published a ‘Meet Your Candidates’ section in 2022 and asked candidates to talk about priorities.

While the candidate submissions are cursory, they are published several weeks in advance of voting day. There’s likely a similar database for 2026.

Again, online searching for candidate profile stories written prior to the election is another option.

Online Capital Daily also reached out to local candidates in 2022 with a survey providing basic information about themselves, and outlining their thoughts on local issues, from policing to public consultation.

Not all candidates chose to respond making it less helpful. It remains to be seen if they will launch a similar database for 2026.

Of course various organizations share their views on who they believe represents their best interests and which municipality is under performing.

Among them are the Chambers of Commerce which just released the Greater Victoria Municipal Report Card on six municipalities, and the Victoria Labour Council. Of note also is the analysis by the grassroots group Sustainable Victoria Network.

Community associations organize all-candidates meetings, a chance to judge candidates in the flesh. Keep in mind, community associations are often closely tied to councils who provide essential grants and fund some of their activities.

Good luck voters separating the worthy from the cringeworthy candidates, the future of our Wonderland is in your hands.

-30-

Redacted postings on the city website under the section ‘election candidates’ also show that five of the current councillors signed nomination documents supporting Alto.

Nominees for mayor or council need to be nominated by at least 25 nominators to be eligible.

As well, the so-called ‘Gang of Five’ of current councillors, also nominated each other to varying degrees as part of the nomination process.

To be very clear, there’s no wrongdoing or anything illegal in all these nominations.

It just seems the governance term ‘at arms-length’ takes on new meaning before the municipal election.

https://www.victoria.ca/media/file/alto-marianne-mayor-nomination-package-redacted

When you vote in the local election in a few weeks, ask yourself, ‘Is it for a ‘scandal,’ an ‘odium’ or a ‘windbag’ of politicians?’ Not surprisingly, there doesn’t seem to be any agreement on a collective noun for a group of politicians. A less derisive and our choice is a ‘confusion of politicians.’

While Metro Vancouver is aiming for a little less confusion, unfortunately there’s still plenty remaining in Victoria.

Pending provincial approval, the Metro Vancouver board will reform regional governance following a comprehensive, independent review by Deloitte Canada. It voted to reduce the unwieldy board size to 34 from 45 members in 2027 to help “improve decision-making speed, efficiency, and strategic focus.”

It’s creating a major projects oversight board, streamlining financial accountability, adopting a single sewerage area model, and so on. It implemented 24 of 47 recommendations from the initial 2025 governance review to cut redundancies, eliminate double meeting fees, and increase transparency.

Metro Vancouver serves more than three million residents living in 21 municipalities, one electoral district and one treaty First Nation.

Board membership to a maximum of three directors per member jurisdiction will be capped, which also requires formal provincial approval to take effect. While some board votes are unweighted, others like financial decisions and major projects are currently based on one for every 20,000 population or portion thereof.

Here in our Wonderland, the Capital Regional District hasn’t seriously reformed its regional governance and its 24-director board in decades.

Both the Governing Greater Victoria: The Role of Elected Officials and Shared Services (2016) by the Fraser Institute and the Capital Integrated Services and Governance Initiative (2017) for the province, failed to result in significant changes at the CRD.

These governance related reports still sit on a dusty shelf somewhere.

The CRD includes 460,000 souls living in 13 municipalities, three electoral areas, and the traditional territories of multiple First Nations.

The number of directors at the CRD is not fixed by a hard numerical cap; rather, it is determined by population formulas. While some votes are unweighted, others are based on one for every 5,000 population or portion thereof.

When compared to Metro Vancouver, clearly there’s a disproportionate number of regional politicians on the South Island. Let’s also ask how the board can claim any regional electoral legitimacy in the first place?

Local governance is delivered by a large ‘confusion’ of politicians, a description that will fit even better after local elections in October.”

The public was told the mayor’s base pay from Esquimalt will be hiked by 20% to $84,776 after the fall election.

The mayor of the township also automatically sits on the CRD board in a separate role as a director which significantly boosts overall compensation. After all, Esquimalt taxpayers help pay for the salary indirectly through regional requisitions from the CRD.

In 2025, the current mayor was paid $34,538 including expenses by the CRD, according to the annual statement of financial information. But following a recent remuneration review, the next mayor will receive an additional annual stipend of $3,069 to the base pay.

Councillors will also see a pay hike of 13% to $33,910 in November, based on 40% of the mayor’s salary.

In 2025, councillors were paid $31,658 plus expenses, according to the annual statement of financial information.
But the story fails to mention that on top of these pay hikes, mayor and council will receive cost of living adjustments annually for the next several years.

Of particular concern is the methodology used by the consultants in setting pay recommendations. In 2024, eight of the 13 comparators had greater populations,10 of the 13 had greater annual expenses.

So, these communities have budgets and populations in excess of Esquimalt which inflates the pay recommendations.

Its true council is following some of the Union of B.C. Municipalities best practices, although they effectively continue to ratchet up other municipal council salaries.

Esquimalt did not seek any feedback through a citizen committee or resident consultation. Setting aside self-interest for a moment, the validity of the pay recommendations are called into question when public input is not considered in the process.

Why does Esquimalt council bury information on remuneration and expenses on its website? How easy is it for the public to find clear, complete and consolidated information?

Ahead of the fall civic election, frustrated Esquimalt taxpayers will judge if these pay hikes are justified and if there’s sufficient transparency.

The pay hikes may be a hard sell following this year’s overall tax hike of 11.32 %, the highest surge in the entire region. It added an estimated $420 to the average tax bill in 2026.

Instead, the Province declined to authorize one.

In this interview, Trevor Barry, President of Amalgamation Yes, discusses:

• Why the Citizens’ Assembly reached such a strong recommendation
  • Why the Province’s response disappointed many residents
  • Why the upcoming non-binding referendum still matters
  • How one unified municipality could improve regional governance
  • Why voters should continue the conversation by voting YES this October

Whether you support amalgamation or not, this discussion is an important look at the future of local government in Greater Victoria.