COMOX VALLEY ELECTIONS 2026
For most people, it’s Comox Valley’s local governments that have the most direct impact. Local governments affect broad swaths of our lives, including the livability of our communities through land use and zoning, the water quality in our creeks and streams and they provide us with parks and recreation. It’s important to vote in local elections. On this page, you’ll find profiles of some candidates, election commentary, our endorsements and where-to-vote information.
LINKS TO CANDIDATES
QUESTIONNAIRES
- City of Courtenay
- Town of Comox
- Village of Cumberland
- Comox Valley Regional District
- School District 71 candidates listed at each jurisdiction
It’s U-Pick’em time tomorrow, choose carefully from this wild and crazy crop of candidates
The Post War and Boomer Babies forgot to do a bunch of stuff, or just left it undone because they were too scared to raise taxes. So, when the millennials came along in 2018 they started cleaning up the mess. Now the city may fall into the hands of a wild and crazy bunch of newcomers. So let’s talk taxes, debt, pools, water meters and, once again, the Puntledge Triangle.
How to decide who to vote for in a municipal election…
Town of Comox voters will choose between two opposing visions for the future when they cast their ballots on Saturday. One that values sustaining the town’s character through community-driven planning, where everyone feels heard and respected. The other values developer-driven planning with little regard for individual homeowners and neighborhoods.
The deciding election issue in Comox: Which vision of the town’s future do you share?
Town of Comox voters will choose between two opposing visions for the future when they cast their ballots on Saturday. One that values sustaining the town’s character through community-driven planning, where everyone feels heard and respected. The other values developer-driven planning with little regard for individual homeowners and neighborhoods.
Decafnation Candidate Voting Sheet for 2026
A list of candidates endorsed by Decafnation
Does Manno Theos even live full-time in Canada? Strange admission on Facebook raises questions
Would you vote for a local government candidate who did not live full-time in the Comox Valley? How about one who may not live full-time in Canada? The questions around Courtenay mayoral candidate Manno Theos’s residency continue because he refuses to provide forthright answers. And it’s complicated by what appears to be a public admission that he lives part-time in Greece.
Public Engagement?
A chart of online and face-to-face activities for Courtenay council candidates. Here’s how the prospective candidates are treating their ‘interview’ for the job of running the city.
A grassroots movement to form neighbourhood associations is growing in Comox
Last year’s process to update the Town of Comox’s Official Community Plan has spawned several new neighbourhood associations determined to protect their character and quality of life from inappropriate developments. And it has energized individuals to participate in the current municipal elections
Our recommendations for Cumberland, CVRD and CV Schools trustees
Comox Valley voters started casting their ballots yesterday, the first day of advance voting for the Oct. 17 municipal election. Voting continues today on Denman and Hornby and on Saturday in Comox. Decafnation has published its list of recommended candidates in all jurisdictions of Comox Valley races. Click the banner at the top of this page.
Courtenay challengers finally clam up about city finances
Challengers for City of Courtenay council seats have wailed for months about taxes and over spending. Finally, they clammed up.
Four first-time candidates seek council positions in Comox
From a law firm partner, to the DFO Regional Manager, to a Certified Change Agent to an architectural firm manager, four first-time well-qualified candidates seek council seats in the Town of Comox. These are the new faces hoping to win seats in the Oct. 17 municipal election.
Courtenay, Cumberland candidates respond to our seven-part questionnaire
So many candidates, so little time and opportunity to get to know them. With 47 people seeking mayors’s chairs or council seats, deciding who to vote for can boggle the mind. Don’t worry. The Decafnation traditional candidate questionnaire continues today with the responses from Courtenay and Cumberland candidates.
Municipal candidates hear about Comox Valley’s most pressing social issues
Candidates running in the Oct. 17 local government elections had the opportunity to hear first-hand from Comox Valley organizations on the front line of our most pressing social issues.
What does your vision of Comox look like? Six storey buildings down Comox Avenue?
Citizen concerns about increasing allowable building heights to six storeys are fueling this year’s emerging Town of Comox election issues — growth and community identity. Will the Comox of the future still have a small town feel or will it look like White Rock?
The City of Courtenay has chopped its total debt in half from 2012 to 2026
Here’s yet another way to understand the City of Courtenay’s financial management. The incumbent council has cut the the city’s total debt in half since 2012 and reduced its debt per capital by 64.7 percent during the same period. That’s fewer tax dollars spent on debt payments.
Provincial general election feels imminent — will the writ drop this week?
There are lots of signs pointing to Premier David Ebby calling for a BC general election as early as later this week. MLA Brennan Day will make an announcement in the next few days about whether he’ll run as an independent. And Courtenay Councillor Will Cole-Hamiltion withdrew his municipal re-election bid last Friday.
Courtenay’s controversial Sixth Street Bridge: Whose idea was it?
The idea for a pedestrian and cycling bridge at Sixth Street originated about 40 years ago and followed a roller coaster ride to completion. It might have never been built without the persuasive pleading from Downtown businesses in 2019. An effusive thumbs up from mayoral candidate Manno Theos might have helped, too.
Will Manno Theos win Courtenay in vote split? And are these candidates using AI?
What’s going on in this year’s local government elections? More candidates. More women candidates. Another possible vote split in Courtenay to favor the underdog. Many long-time veterans still hanging on. Fake social media posters and other trolls. And suspicions surfacing of plagiarism or AI use in candidate statements. Looks like a wild four-week ride. Buckle up!
Post-war attempt to ‘Run cities like a business’ by allowing sprawl failed miserably
After WWII, municipalities across Canada tried a private sector trick to generate revenue, but expanding a city’s tax base by allowing urban sprawl merely traded small temporary cash gains for the ticking time bomb of unfunded infrastructure liabilities … and the tax bill is now overdue