Platform
A More Affordable. More Vibrant. More Ambitious Victoria.
Victoria has plans. Now let's deliver.
Victoria has spent a lot of time planning for the future.
We have a new Official Community Plan. We have a Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan. There are housing and economic development strategies, downtown revitalization programs, and major commitments around climate and infrastructure.
That work matters. But a plan only gets us so far.
What matters now is whether those plans are delivering results.
That's the approach Darren brings to City Hall: keep what works, fix what doesn't, finish what we've started, and be honest about the results.
That means a city where people feel safe using our public spaces. A downtown with people on the streets day and night. An economy where businesses can invest and grow. And a City Hall that treats every tax dollar as something that has to earn its place.
1. Safer, cleaner public spaces — and a real pathway off the streets
Victoria has put significant resources into housing, unhoused people and community safety. The City has expanded partnerships around shelter and supportive housing, increased coordination among service providers, and adopted its first Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan.
The next step is making all of that work better together.
Being unhoused isn't something the City can solve on its own. The Province and federal government control much of the funding and many of the services people depend on. But that doesn't mean Victoria is powerless.
The City controls land, zoning, public spaces and many of the partnerships that bring these pieces together. We need to use those tools well.
That starts with knowing where the gaps are. Who is getting connected to services? Who is moving into housing? Where are people falling through the cracks? And what happens after someone gets housed?
Darren will work with BC Housing, Island Health, non-profits, businesses and other governments to strengthen the system we already have, while pushing for the additional housing and services Victoria needs.
That includes making better use of City-owned land, supporting supportive and transitional housing, improving coordination between service providers, and making sure people living on the streets have a real pathway toward stable housing.
At the same time, our streets, parks and plazas need to be clean, safe and available to everyone.
That means clear standards for public spaces, consistent maintenance, and a coordinated response that connects unhoused people with appropriate services and alternatives.
How we'll know it's working
We should be able to see the results of these investments.
We'll track the number of people connected to services, the number moving into appropriate housing, housing stability over time, people returning to being unhoused on the street and the condition of our public spaces.
The goal isn't simply to spend more. It's to help more people move toward stability while making our public spaces work for everyone.
2. Grow Victoria's economy — and make City Hall easier to do business with
Victoria already has an economic development strategy and a new OCP that call for a stronger, more diverse economy, more employment opportunities and a prosperous urban core.
Now we need to make that work harder for the people who actually run businesses here.
Starting a business, renovating a storefront or building something new shouldn't require an expert in municipal bureaucracy.
City Hall should be easier to deal with. Applications should be simpler. More services should be available online. Permitting timelines should be clear and predictable.
And when something gets stuck, applicants should know who to talk to.
We'll publish meaningful information about permitting times and backlogs, identify recurring bottlenecks and work to remove them. We'll also look at regulations that add cost or delay without delivering a clear public benefit.
If City Hall says something should take 30 days, residents and businesses should be able to see whether it actually took 30 days.
Attract investment
Victoria is competing with other Canadian cities for businesses, workers, visitors and investment.
We should be making the most of what makes this city attractive while protecting the character and quality of life that brought people here in the first place.
That means creating room for entrepreneurs and new businesses, supporting tourism and hospitality, growing our arts and cultural economy, encouraging technology and professional services, and making it easier to invest in existing commercial areas.
City Hall can't create every job. It can, however, make it easier for the people who create jobs to invest here.
Our job is to create the conditions for businesses to start, grow and succeed in Victoria.
And that means paying attention to the businesses that are already here, not just chasing the next big investment.
3. Make downtown a destination again
Victoria has already started working on this. OUR DWTN has brought events, public art, cleaning, beautification and safety initiatives into the downtown core.
The answer isn't to scrap that work and start over.
It's to build on it.
Downtown needs more reasons for people to come here — and more reasons to stay.
That means more evening programming, live music, cultural events, family activities, food events, seasonal celebrations and better use of our waterfront and public spaces.
The City doesn't need to run every event itself. It should make it easier for other people to put great things on.
We'll work with the Downtown Victoria Business Association, tourism organizations, cultural groups, event producers and private sponsors to bring more activity into the core. City funding should help unlock private investment and community energy rather than carrying the entire cost.
Downtown after dark
A downtown that empties out at 6 p.m. isn't a thriving downtown.
We can make evening activity easier by simplifying event permits, making better use of public spaces, supporting patios and late-night businesses, and continuing to invest in cleaning and maintenance.
Just as importantly, businesses, outreach workers, bylaw officers and police need to be working from the same playbook.
Victoria has already started down this road. We need to keep moving.
And we should measure whether we're actually getting somewhere.
Foot traffic. Event attendance. Evening activity. Business activity. Hotel occupancy. The condition of our public spaces.
Not every change will be caused by City Hall, but City Hall should know what it's trying to accomplish and whether its investments are helping.
4. Make everyday life more affordable
Affordability isn't one issue. It's the rent or mortgage, the grocery bill, the cost of getting to work, energy bills, property taxes, fees and all the other expenses that add up over the course of a year.
The City can't control all of them.
But it can make sure its own decisions aren't making things harder than they need to be.
More value for every tax dollar
Residents should get more from the money they already send to City Hall.
That means taking procurement seriously, looking at the full lifetime cost of major projects, reducing unnecessary duplication and making better use of digital services.
It also means being willing to ask whether a program is actually achieving what it was supposed to achieve.
This isn't about cutting for the sake of cutting.
It's about making sure public money produces something residents can see, use and benefit from.
Transportation people can afford
People should have practical ways to get around Victoria whether they drive, cycle, walk or take transit.
The City doesn't control regional transit fares or routes on its own, so we'll work with the Victoria Regional Transit Commission and BC Transit on opportunities to improve affordability, including targeted assistance for people who need it most.
We'll also keep working to make walking and cycling safer and more convenient, because getting around without a car should be a realistic option.
Lowering the cost of housing over time
Housing affordability depends heavily on provincial and federal governments and on the broader housing market. But municipal decisions still have a real impact.
Victoria has already made important changes to housing policy. We should build on them.
That means getting approvals moving faster, making development requirements more predictable, supporting rental and family-sized housing, allowing secondary suites and other forms of gentle density, and continuing to work with non-profits, co-ops, BC Housing and other partners.
City-owned land can also be part of the solution.
And when we approve housing, we should pay attention to more than the number of units on a spreadsheet.
What was built? Who can afford it? How long did it take? And what did it cost to get there?
Food access
City Hall can't set grocery prices.
It can, however, support projects that make healthy food easier to access, whether that's through municipal land, partnerships, community programs or targeted support.
This should be practical and focused on places where the City can actually make a difference.
Build the infrastructure Victoria depends on
The basics matter.
Roads and sidewalks. Water and wastewater. Parks. Public buildings. Transportation infrastructure. EV charging. Trees and green infrastructure.
We need to keep building and improving these things, but there's another part of infrastructure that doesn't get nearly as much attention.
We have to maintain what we already own.
For major projects, residents should be able to see the budget, the timeline, the expected result and the long-term cost of operating and maintaining the asset.
We'll also report more clearly on infrastructure condition and maintenance backlogs.
Build it. Maintain it. Measure it.
Victoria shouldn't have to guess where its infrastructure money went or whether a project was delivered as promised.
Climate action that makes Victoria better
Victoria has already made substantial commitments on climate change, including through Victoria 2050 and its building and transportation policies.
That work should continue, but it should also be practical.
Energy-efficient buildings can lower operating costs. Electrification can reduce emissions and, in the right circumstances, long-term energy costs. Better trees and green infrastructure can make neighbourhoods more comfortable and resilient. Climate-ready infrastructure can protect the investments we've already made.
Those are the kinds of projects worth pursuing.
And every major climate investment should be able to answer two straightforward questions:
What problem are we solving?
How will we know whether it worked?
Climate action and fiscal responsibility don't have to be opposing goals. Done properly, they reinforce each other.
A City Hall that delivers
This is the thread running through everything.
Victoria has plans. The new OCP gives us a long-term framework for housing, infrastructure, climate and economic growth. The Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan sets out a coordinated approach to community safety and wellbeing. There are already strategies and programs covering most of the challenges residents are asking City Hall to address.
We don't need another layer of plans.
We need to deliver on the ones we have.
For major projects and programs, residents should be able to answer five basic questions:
What are we spending?
What are we trying to accomplish?
When will it be delivered?
What result did we actually get?
And what are we going to do if we didn't get it?
That last question matters.
Good organizations don't hide when something isn't working. They adjust.
City Hall should work the same way.
Residents don't experience plans. They experience results.
Four priorities. One Victoria.
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01
Safer streets and a pathway for unhoused people.
Build on the City's existing response, improve coordination and focus on outcomes.
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02
A stronger economy.
Make Victoria easier to invest in, easier to build in and easier to do business in.
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03
A downtown that's alive.
Build on the work already underway and create more reasons for people to spend time downtown, day and night.
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04
A more affordable city.
Get more value from every tax dollar, improve transportation and make it easier to build the kinds of housing Victoria needs.
Victoria has plans.
Now let's deliver.
Keep what works.
Fix what doesn't.
Finish what we've started.
Measure the difference.
Get involved
Help deliver on the plans Victoria already has. Email darren4mayor@gmail.com to volunteer.
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