Platform — Darren Gervais-Harrison for Mayor of Victoria

Principles

01
Build

More housing, infrastructure, businesses, and opportunity.
02
Fix

Repair the systems we have before adding new bureaucracy.
03
Measure

If we spend public money, we define success and publish the result.
04
Modernize

Use better processes and technology so government gets more done.
05
Collaborate

Victoria cannot solve regional problems alone.
06
Be ambitious

Do not settle for managing decline.

Build homes that get built

Housing is infrastructure. Darren will focus on why it takes so long and costs so much to build in Victoria — and on homes actually delivered, not only applications approved.

Success looks like: shorter approval timelines and a clear public count of homes completed each year.

Dramatically faster permitting, digital processes, and predictable development rules
More homes where infrastructure can support them, near transit and jobs
Missing-middle and family housing, not only luxury condos
Strategic use of public land
Partnership with the CRD, Province, and federal government

Make City Hall more productive

Every dollar of municipal spending should produce a measurable public benefit. That is not a slogan about cutting taxes — it is how programs should be run: scope, design, cost, build, commission, measure.

Success looks like: residents can see what major projects cost, what they delivered, and what changed when they did not.

Program-by-program reviews and clear service standards
Transparent capital-project costs and public dashboards for major work
Better procurement and competitive benchmarking
Stop projects that are not delivering value
Publish what projects cost and whether they delivered what was promised

Mobility that actually works

Darren will be pro-mobility, not pro-car or anti-car. The question is how we move the most people, goods, and services through a constrained city.

Success looks like: fewer bottlenecks, clearer choices for how people get around, and plans tied to measured travel demand.

Better transit and coordination with BC Transit and the CRD
Safe cycling infrastructure and walkable neighbourhoods
Intelligent traffic management and better freight movement
Strategic parking and EV charging
Infrastructure designed around actual demand

Safe, clean, welcoming streets

People deserve dignity. Public spaces also deserve standards. Those are not opposites — and Victoria needs both.

Success looks like: fewer people stuck outside without options, and public spaces that feel usable and cared for.

Compassion for people experiencing homelessness, with a serious path to permanent housing
Serious work on addiction and mental-health supports through partnerships
Serious response to public disorder, violence, and property crime
Streets that are safe for residents, businesses, and visitors
Clear service standards for cleanliness and public space

Wellbeing without empty promises

Hospitals do not solve Victoria’s health challenges alone. A mayor should not pretend City Hall can fix provincial health care. Darren will be clear about the municipal role — and relentless about what Victoria needs partners to do.

Success looks like: municipal projects that strengthen daily life, plus clear asks to senior governments where the City’s tools end.

Housing and supportive housing as part of the health picture
Accessible public spaces, parks, and recreation that support livability
Partnerships on mental health and social services
Infrastructure that makes health and community facilities easier to build and expand
Honest collaboration with the Province instead of over-promising

A better place to build a business

Darren wants Victoria to be a city where someone can have an idea, start a company, hire people, find space, and grow. The test is execution, not slogans about supporting business.

Success looks like: shorter times to open or expand, and more local firms winning work and hiring here.

Faster business permitting and less unnecessary regulatory friction
More flexible commercial zoning and protected employment lands
Support for entrepreneurs and startups
Stronger links between UVic, Camosun, and local firms
Procurement that gives innovative local companies a fair chance

Infrastructure for the next decades

If we are going to spend on the city’s future, Darren will push for infrastructure that is cheaper, smarter, and more resilient — not a pile of disconnected mandates.

Success looks like: capital projects with clear performance goals, not only policy labels.

Electrification, EV charging, and resilient electrical systems
Building efficiency, smart lighting, and digital infrastructure
Climate adaptation and water systems
Low-carbon transportation
Municipal data systems that show staff and residents what is working

Grow without losing Victoria

We can add homes without erasing neighbourhood character. Victoria already has a long-term plan; Darren’s job is to execute it well.

Success looks like: more housing that still feels like Victoria — green, walkable, and carefully designed.

More people living in established neighbourhoods in well-designed buildings
Trees, green infrastructure, parks, and public space
Human-scale streets
Protection of important heritage
Development that contributes to the public realm

Regional Victoria

Housing, transportation, homelessness, water, transit, and the economy do not stop at the municipal boundary. Darren will work across the region instead of optimizing one silo — including regional approaches to policing and shared services where they deliver better results.

Success looks like: fewer duplicated efforts and more joint results on housing, transit, and public safety.

Partnership with the CRD and neighbouring municipalities
Work with the provincial and federal governments
Work with First Nations
Treat regional systems as shared problems with shared delivery

A Victoria That Works

Principles

Build

Fix

Measure

Modernize

Collaborate

Be ambitious