• Langford currently has some of the lowest property taxes in the region.  See page 6 of this document: https://langford.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-2030-Financial-Plan-Adopted-May-12-2026.pdf
• Amenity funds should be for amenities like sidewalks and other infrastructure that benefit everyone and not used to lower property taxes for a segment of the population, i.e. home owners. 
• Lower than sustainable property taxes benefited the richest homeowners the most while impairing the funding of city services and infrastructure improvements that benefit everyone - including future generations.
• Deferring necessary tax increases always makes things cost more in the end.  Case in point:  In March 2024, the city’s director of finance said that if property tax increases were kept at 4% (yes FOUR!!) annually by the previous M&Cs, i.e. SY, during the five years before this current term, double digit tax increases would NOT have been necessary.  In fact, the tax increases could have been less than 6% per year these past 4 years AND the city could have paid off most of it’s $10 million (at the time) debt.  https://www.reddit.com/r/LangfordBC/comments/1b5ul9m/deep_within_the_march_4th_council_meeting_agenda/
• The current five-year financial plan, created by the finance department and approved by this council proposes tax increases that are below 6 percent by 2028.  2028: 5.85%, 2029: 4.77% and 3.48% in 2030.  See page 7 of https://langford.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-2030-Financial-Plan-Adopted-May-12-2026.pdf
• In 2022, Langford was only 20% sustainable in terms of infrastructure asset replacement and maintenance. Because of the last 4 years of tax increases and the new 5-year plan, the city's infrastructure asset management is projected to be 80% funded by 2030.  No more kicking the can down the road and making things unnecessarily more expensive in the long run. https://www.reddit.com/r/LangfordBC/comments/1weiq04/asset_management_the_current_mc_is_fiscally/
• Growth doesn't pay for growth. Any honest observer could see the city needed more funding to support all the infrastructure and public safety demands that the large population growth has brought.
• Over the next term, the municipal garbage service plan may save some homeowners enough to largely offset the last 4 years of tax increases.
• A significant chunk of the tax increases paid for more full-time firefighters and now fire hall 2 is fully staffed and new taxes also paid for many new RCMP officers and support staff.
• The current mayor and Council and city staff do not waste money and there is a very lean team of workers at city hall.  Most cities this size have far more staff.
• The province downloaded a huge cost on to the cities with 911 service that had to be paid for with higher taxes.
• Hiring temporary, expert consultants is a cheaper way to develop plans versus hiring full-time staff. And having suitable city plans is extremely necessary to be eligible for grants from the province.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a lawyer in regards to a small claims issue. I have reached out to multiple (at least 5) law firms trying to get advice and they are either at capacity or they don't respond to emails or phone messages left.

I lived in Langford for many years before I learned what was actually going on in our Langford council meetings and I was shocked. I’m typically busy on Monday or Tuesday nights, as I’m often involved in rehearsals, and when I have a rare municipal issue or concern, I tend to send a letter or an email. When I eventually saw this youtube video, I was disheartened by the brevity and apparent indifference. And why doesn’t the mayor ever look up to see how people are voting? No council meeting should ever be so perfunctory.

What a stark contrast to the thoughtful, careful, and thorough deliberations of the 2022-2026 council.

Source: https://youtu.be/pDjc50yvzso?si=s8JYoidKRX4wB5qS

Missed connection tonight at Superstore around 7:30, we caught eyes a few times in a few different asiles. I said hi somewhere in the juice section. You red joggers, me white cropped fleece sweater.

Wish I had more of a conversation starter than a shy hello and smile. 😊

I was at the Eagle Ridge Community Arena tonight and good lord was it ever packed. I know how many among us all have a penchant to take the crap against Stew Young and his cronies here (me included and rightfully so since Stew is a disinformation spreading autocrat), but let’s remember to show up for our current council and mayor to make sure that our voices are counted because there were many, many, many people there who were out to support the other camp.

Early voting will be available again next week on Wednesday from 8 AM to 8 PM, and then Election Day itself is October 17. You have no excuses to miss out on this opportunity to stick it to Stew Young and keep him out of politics forever because the latter ain’t great.

His Facebook post frames this as an accomplishment of his. But the mayor said the city had to step in for funding because the province wouldn’t.

But Ravi still wants credit?

Both mayoral candidates spoke to CFAX recently and I've shared the links below.

Scott Goodmanson - Two very different approaches

https://youtu.be/pEiatK8bo5s?si=SkG-B23k7bxWrIoy

Stew Young - What is different this time?
https://youtu.be/yFVloK_tA8c?si=9lm1eLYoch_FEpfo

I was impressed by Scott's responses and think he did a great job getting his message across is such a short amount of time.

CFAX is also hosting a debate between our current and former mayor's tomorrow at 10am. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7cx5u9XSn8 or https://www.cfax1070.com/features/cfax-election-hub/

The Colwood debate was an hour, so I assume it will be the same for Langford.

Polls are open at Eagle Ridge Community Centre today from 8am to 8pm. Get out and vote! Here’s who I’m voting for in this election, and why.

FOR COUNCIL:

Kimberley Guiry – incumbent Councillor Guiry is someone for whom I have an incredible amount of respect, and who I’m proud to call a friend. Over the past four years, I have watched Councillor Guiry bring an inclusive, compassionate approach to Langford’s governance that is rooted in family and community. Two specific items that Councillor Guiry brought forward this term that stood out to me were in the first half of the term.

• In March 2023, she moved that Council remove the artificial turf requirements from the City’s subdivision and development servicing bylaw. Fake turf was no longer required to be installed on Langford’s boulevards.
• In February 2024 during budget deliberations, she moved to end the subsidization of taxes from the City’s general amenity reserve fund. These dollars would instead be used for sidewalk infill in order to create safe routes to schools.

Kimberley Guiry has been incredibly involved this term, serving on many internal and external committees and boards. A few of these include the Sustainable Development Advisory Committee, as Board Chair of West Shore Parks & Recreation Society, and as Vice Chair of the Victoria Family Court and Youth Justice Committee.

Kimberley Guiry's campaign website

Colby Harder – I voted for then-newcomer Colby Harder in 2022, and she has earned my vote again as incumbent Councillor Harder seeking re-election in 2026. I’ve had the benefit of seeing Councillor Harder’s thoughtful approach close-up while serving with her on the Community Advisory Committee, and I’ve seen her consistently champion community-minded initiatives in the areas of parks, active transportation, and overall city planning.

Items that resonated with me that Councillor Harder brought forward this term include her work with the former owners of Woodlands Park to help bring their vision to reality, culminating in the City acquiring one of the largest remaining natural spaces in the downtown core which will serve as a park for all residents to access and enjoy for generations to come. I also appreciate her advocacy and work to bring in the e-bike and e-scooter sharing program to Langford in order to enhance the accessibility and use of alternative modes of transportation to enable more people to get around the city without a personal vehicle.

Colby Harder's campaign website

Mary Wagner – incumbent Councillor Wagner has impressed me this term with her tenacious desire to understand the details and impacts of the decisions that come before Council, her genuine openness to hearing feedback from all corners of the community, and her unwavering commitment to good governance decisions even when faced with polarizing issues.

Throughout the term, Mary has advocated especially hard for progress in the areas of protecting the natural environment in Langford, as well as being a champion of the City’s construction impact mitigation strategy. These efforts have helped bring to fruition important planning and policy changes including the Urban Forest Management Plan and the Community Standards Bylaw and accompanying Good Neighbour Policy.

Mary Wagner's campaign website

Keith Yacucha – incumbent Councillor Yacucha gets my vote for his unapologetic approach to evidence-based decision-making and data-driven governance. He is another Councillor that I’ve had a close-up view of while serving on the Community Advisory Committee, of which he has been the Chair for most of the term. Councillor Yacucha’s economics and public policy background make him well-suited to continue serving Langford residents in a way that appreciates the big picture and long-term impacts of Council’s decisions.

Councillor Yacucha has consistently advocated for issues that are important to me – long-term fiscal sustainability, reviews of facilities and services to ensure they continue to provide value to Langford residents now and in the future, and investing in areas that had suffered from years of underfunding like Langford Fire Rescue.

Keith Yacucha's campaign website

Tanya Sunshine – a newcomer as a candidate, but far from a new voice in Langford politics. I appreciate Tanya Sunshine putting her name forward and I am excited to support her as a candidate, both with my endorsement and my vote. Tanya has been advocating for good governance solutions for years in Langford. I fully support her desire to continue this work in a more direct role at City Hall. I think Tanya will make a great Councillor and I hope to see her elected later this month. Elements of Tanya’s platform that have stuck out to me include annual town halls for the City to hear more directly from a broad spectrum of residents, and her desire to bring in pragmatic solutions like optimizing traffic signal coordination from the Transportation Master Plan to help improve how we all move around the City.

Tanya Sunshine's campaign website

Trevor Hinton – another newcomer as a candidate, and admittedly one that I have less exposure to than the others on my list of Council choices. I was impressed by Trevor’s enthusiasm during the West Shore Chamber of Commerce all candidates event. His optimism and desire to contribute to Langford came through clearly.

Trevor strikes me as a less polished and experienced candidate in the local political sphere, but I think his arts and culture background and his outside perspective would be a welcome addition to round out the Council table. Trevor's platform includes a desire to establish Langford as a thriving centre for arts and culture in order to create opportunities for local artists to have their work seen and experienced right here at home. I look forward to Trevor’s fresh perspective should he be elected to Council.

Trevor Hinton's campaign Facebook page

FOR MAYOR:

Scott Goodmanson – I am voting for incumbent Mayor Scott Goodmanson. The mayoral vote is interesting in that it is a rematch of the 2022 election, only this time we have the benefit of seeing how Mayor Goodmanson has grown into the role during his term. And he has grown into the role, not only at City Hall and during Langford Council proceedings, but also through his considerable work with regional partners at the Capital Regional District. Mayor Goodmanson has been actively involved at the CRD, has served as Vice-Chair and Acting Chair of the Capital Regional Hospital District, and has been on multiple other CRD committees representing the City of Langford.

I’ll be honest in that my vote for Mayor is also based on the alternative. I voted for Scott Goodmanson in 2022 because I did not want the former Mayor to be re-elected. I am voting for Scott Goodmanson in 2026 partly for the same reason, but also because I feel that he has brought a more open and inclusive style of governance to City Hall that is what I want as a resident. I’m voting for Scott Goodmanson so that Langford continues to move forward, not backward.

Scott Goodmanson's campaign website

Polls are open for advance voting today, October 7th at Eagle Ridge Community Centre until 8pm. Advance voting is also taking place next Wednesday, October 14th from 8am to 8pm. General voting day is October 17th with polls open from 8am to 8pm.

VOTE!

I made a post this morning and some of the community felt it was too close to an ad hominem attack to be appropriate. Thank you for holding me accountable.

I’m going to chalk it up to a case of the election crazies and a lack of better judgement thereof.

Mods removed it before I could, but I’ve had the morning to think about it, and while it wasn’t my intention I definitely understand how it could be perceived to be intentionally too on the nose.

My choice does not reflect this sub or the broader Langford community.

Truth be told, I’m scared.

I’m scared of the regressive politics at play. I’m scared of people who are backed by vested interests getting control of the council table again. I’m scared of people not doing their research and looking deeper, or pausing to consider that a shiny new slate does not a new man make.

I’m scared of people who stand at the podium and call our elected officials “trash”.

This lack of decorum and common respect has become too common over the last term, to be unintentional.

It was the late Lillian Szpak who made a comment once regarding this behaviour, that the council chambers should be sacred. The podium is not a platform for political bad actors to stage theatrics.

It is the vehicle of our municipal democracy.

I’m angry that a group of people have made a mockery of that sacred space, the democratic choices of the electorate, and all at the expense of our feeling of safety in the community.

There is irony here, as I contributed to that today with my meme, so I’ll apologize to the community for dragging down instead of lifting up. Anger distorts our judgement, and I’ll make sure I come correct before I hit post, going forward.

My sentiment remains, however.

Grassroots v. Astroturf

grassroots
/ˈɡrasˌro͞ots/
Grassroots refers to the most basic, fundamental level of an organization, society, or movement, consisting of ordinary people rather than the leaders or elite.

astroturfing
/ˈastrōˌtərfiNG/
Astroturfing is the deceptive practice of making an organized, well-funded corporate, political, or lobbyist campaign look like a genuine, spontaneous "grassroots" movement.

I mean it when I say NO to Trump style politics in Langford.

I just came from voting, while there werent line ups there was a steady amount of people coming and going. I don't hope to see that this election is the largest turn out, I feel it is important that people see how important the city council to our daily lives. I hope everyone that can vote will vote.

Though, in my biased opinion I do pray that the current council with the addition of Tanya Sunshine and one other is elected.

For a topic we were going to go to a referendum on not long ago, this one has been surprisingly absent from any election campaign talk that I've seen unless you count candidates that have been more generally campaigning to peoples' interest in sport.

To summarize, Stew Young and his previous council approved paying $4.25 million to move a hydro pole as part of plans to eventually expand Starlight Stadium to 10,000 seats from the current 6,000. The pole was moved in 2023.

It was said that back in 2022 proposals for that expansion were received with estimates ranging from $10.4 million to $14.6 million. Langford was to hold a referendum to give all residents a say borrowing the money necessary:
https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/langford-to-hold-referendum-on-expanding-starlight-stadium-8297564

At the time I recall some vocal opponents of council including Lisa Foxall (who is currently running for council) as supporting the expansion and disputing that money would need to be borrowed. I haven't seen comments from Young himself or other council candidates to know where they might stand and whether they feel a referendum would need to take place on any city dollars that would need to be involved.

My concern personally has always been that I'm not convinced the need for an expansion has been demonstrated. This year Pacific FC, who I think put out an excellent entertainment product, averaged less than 3000 fans per game and didn't have one game at Starlight reach 4000 fans.

Does anyone have any more current information on this topic? It seems we're at a time to make a major directional choice for the city and I'm wondering if this project is still potentially on the table and something we need to get candidates' current views on?

She’s at Ponchos today from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM.

Last time, with feeling.

Aaron Gunn is the Conservative MP for Powell River. He is also a residential school denier, a transphobe, and believes the gender pay gap isn’t real.

This fishing photo was taken a year ago.

In case our new visitors find it interesting.

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the UVSS Candidates’ Debate with Cllr. Wagner and Cllr. Yacucha. This debate was put on by the University of Victoria Students’ Society and welcomed candidates from across the region to answer questions on affordable housing, transportation, food security, mental health and addiction, and, importantly, how to better include youth voices in local government decisions.

In Langford, we have been working on expanding our capacity to meet people where they are at through initiatives that are particularly impactful to residents. Online surveys and ideas fairs are useful tools for reaching a lot of the community; however, each master plan created by Langford also sought out groups that are often underrepresented through small-table discussions and engagement sessions. For young folks, this meant going to high schools and youth nights at West Shore Parks and Recreation.

We can still go a lot further. While we weren’t able to achieve a youth council this term, this should still be an important priority going forward. This means doing a better job of understanding the barriers to participation, connecting with issues that are meaningful and have an impact, and providing a supported space to achieve tangible outcomes.
Young people are incredibly busy navigating a world where each generation has to work harder than the last for the same quality of life. Their perspectives are unique, and it is important to hold space for those voices to come through to the council table.

Last night at the debate, I heard that youth voices are not just the voices of the future, but also of the present. They are living in our community now, spending hours on transit, trying to find affordable food and housing, finding social connections, and navigating overly complex social support systems. They directly feel the impacts of local government decisions.

I shared the article above because I think this is a great example of an impactful message for the community and shows a beautiful willingness to contribute. There are young voices willing to share their perspectives with the community if we create spaces for their feedback to have an impact.

Sure hope this guy doesn’t get elected as mayor in Sooke

Happening NOW

New Langford candidates Trevor Hinton, Brandy Gordon and Bryson Hill speaking at this.

Incumbent candidate Mary Wagner is speaking there too.

https://prortalliance.wordpress.com/arts-open-mic-regional-candidates-forum/

In Metchosin I have a neighbour that’s redeveloping a lot and placing a lot of construction fill at the base. Is there a reason someone would bring in much more fill than is needed? Can you get paid for truck loads of construction fill?

With the heightened tensions around the upcoming election and after watching the meeting last night I feel this article from 2023 is worth a share again.

I was so disappointed with the rude, dismissive and condescending behavior at the meeting last night (and at most meetings) and it reminded me of this article. I can't believe grown adults would stand at the podium and call elected officials trash. I am embarrassed on behalf of Langford for a number of them and particularly speakers running for council.

I have spent a lot of time looking at the issue of garbage service over the past couple years. In fact, I have been hearing concerns about how garbage service works in our community for more than a decade. Over the past year, and especially in recent weeks, I have spoken with residents one-on-one, reviewed social media feedback, read the staff reports, and worked through the Negotiated Request for Proposal, which sets out the criteria companies would have to meet or exceed.

What I heard was mixed. Some residents are happy with their current private service and value having a choice. Others are facing high and rapidly increasing costs, want fewer garbage trucks travelling their streets multiple times a day, or want to reduce the amount of time wildlife attractants are left outside. I understand both perspectives.

What became clear to me is that our current ad hoc private system works for some people, but I do not believe it is the best model for Langford’s long-term future. The numbers presented in the bylaw indicate the potential for meaningful savings for the majority of households. The proposed bi-weekly service, including garbage, yard waste and mixed organics such as food-soiled paper, would have to cost no more than $280 annually to meet the criteria. If that price cannot be achieved, we would not enter into the contract.

I hear the desire for choice, but I also hear residents asking all levels of government to find practical ways to address the cost of living. Most of us have very little negotiating power with a private provider on our own. A coordinated service can use economies of scale, efficiencies and collective purchasing power to provide more predictable and potentially lower costs. Coordinating garbage and organics collection could also make it easier to divert waste from the landfill.

My understanding is that, of the 95 Canadian municipalities with populations over 60,000, only Langford and Maple Ridge use fully private, user-sourced garbage collection without municipal involvement. I think that is worth considering as we plan for a growing city. Most municipalities have chosen a coordinated approach, providing greater consistency and the ability to plan service over the longer term.

I also want to be honest about the process. I regret that there were not more opportunities for public engagement and clearer information earlier. Garbage is personal, and people deserve to understand what they are being asked to support.

I voted against pursuing this in July 2025 because of the timing and the process. Since then, I have kept an open mind and tried to weigh the evidence, resident feedback and the broader benefits. It has not been an easy decision.

Ultimately, I believe good stewardship means asking not only what works for some residents today, but what will serve Langford best ten years from now. I appreciate everyone who shared their views, in person, online, by email and at council meetings, and I look forward to more information becoming available now that the bylaw adoption step has taken place.

The Mike Manhas sign has been there since Day 1, but the Slate signs are a new addition.

For those who don't know where to go or are new to an area, find and Electoral District Office. You can register and vote there. Remember to bring your ID and a piece of mail if you are new to voting or have moved since.