by Guy Dauncey

Saturday October 20^th was Election Day, and we had such great results! Of the 55 candidates who I recommended for your support, 38 were elected and 17 were not. In Courtenay and Comox progressive candidates were also elected, pushing out old-school conservatives.

This was my pitch for these candidates: I want Vancouver Island to become a place where people are really committed to living in harmony with nature.

I want our towns and cities to be full of safe bike lanes, wonderful green spaces, urban farms, affordable housing for all, great public transit, wonderful pedestrian environments, and to have permanently ended homelessness.

I want our Island economy to flourish with a spirit of cooperative innovation, with local investments in a sustainable future, support to start new cooperatives, and with every business being a green, socially responsible business, producing zero non-recyclable waste.

I want all our farms to be organic, all our forests to be managed using the Wildwood principles of ecoforestry, and all new housing developments to be green, beautiful, clustered, and protective of the existing forests and farmland.

I want everyone to be working really hard to tackle the climate crisis, making Vancouver Island a model for the world to show what a great future it can be when we have zero carbon emissions, using renewable energy for all our transportation needs and to heat our buildings.

I also want trustworthy public communication, and lively local democracies.

These are the people whom I supported, with the results:

Victoria: Lisa Helps (Mayor)

Council: Sharmarke Dubow, Laurel Collins  Sarah Potts, Ben Isitt, Jeremy Loveday, Pam Madoff ALL ELECTED, except Pam Madoff

Saanich: Rob Wickson (Mayor) NOT ELECTED

Council: Judy Brownoff, Natalie Chambers, Rebecca Mersereau, Teal Phelps Bondaroff, Colin Plant, Ned Taylor. ALL ELECTED, except Teal Phelps Bondaroff

Oak Bay: Nils Jensen (Mayor) Not elected

Central Saanich: Zeb King  ELECTED

Colwood: Michael Baxter  ELECTED

Metchosin: Brian Domney, Norm Hardy, Andy MacKinnon  Only Andy McKinnon elected

Sooke: Maja Tait (Major) ELECTED

Council: Jeff Bateman,  Tony St-Pierre, Brenda Parkinson, Ebony Logins.  ALL ELECTED

Sidney: Sara Duncan  ELECTED

North Cowichan: John Lefebure (Mayor)  Lost by elected 10 votes

Council: Rob Douglas, Paul Fletcher, Christopher Justice, Kate Marsh, Marilyn Palmer, Rosalie Sawrie, Debra Toporowski. ALL ELECTED except Paul Fletcher and Marilyn Palmer

Cowichan Valley Regional District

Referendum question on watershed management: I’m strongly for voting YES.  THE YES vote won

Referendum question on affordable housing: I’m strongly for voting YES. THE YES vote won

Area A: Blaise Salmon (acclaimed)

Area B: Sierra Acton  ELECTED

Area C: Matteus Clement  Not elected

Area D: David Fast  Not elected

Area E: Alison Nicholson  ELECTED

Area G: Lia Versaevel   Not elected

Area H: Bill Carter  Not elected

Nanaimo: Leonard Krog (Mayor)  ELECTED

Council (Choose 8): Tyler Brown, Ben Geselbracht, Erin Hemmens, Ian Thorpe, Zeni Maartman, Don Bonner, Darcy Olsen, Alexis Petersen  ALL ELECTED except Darcy Olsen and Alexis Peterson

Nanaimo Regional District, Area B: Vanessa Craig ELECTED

Tofino: Josie Osborne (Mayor)  ELECTED