About us

We believe in a thriving valley

Because this place is worth protecting. The Cowichan Valley's watershed, farmland, forests, and small-town character are irreplaceable. We want a valley that stays wild where it's wild and farmed where it's farmed — with clean water in our rivers, fresh air to breathe, and birdsong in the mornings. Not pavement where there used to be pasture or forests our families have enjoyed for generations clear-cut for luxury development.

Protecting this takes active, capable local government. Planning shaped by the farmers, residents, and Indigenous stewards who know this land best — baked into an Official Community Plan (OCP) that safeguards what we hold dear from irresponsible development and extractive industry. Government isn't the obstacle to keeping the Cowichan Valley we love, but we need good government — politicians who know the land, listen to the people, know when to make compromises, and keep stakeholders in the loop every step of the way. 

Our future depends on our watershed. The Cowichan watershed is the heart of this valley — it waters our farms, fills our wells, and sustains the salmon runs that have defined our culture. It is also under serious stress. Hotter, drier summers, declining snowpack, and decades of pressure on the river have brought us repeated drought emergencies, fish die-offs, and farmers told to stop irrigating mid-season. This is not a distant problem. It is here, and it is getting worse.

This isn't the time to replace Crofton Mill with a water-hungry data centre or log the Municipal Forest. It's the time to support farmers through drought, protect the forests and wetlands that hold water in the landscape, restore what remains of our estuary, and make sure new industry creates good local jobs without further stressing the land or driving up our power bills. Our community needs representatives brave enough to face these issues head-on.

Farming and rural life are part of who we are. The people who feed this valley deserve respect, recognition, and policies that support them rather than tie their hands. Good rural policy is made in collaboration with farmers and rural residents, not handed down to them — it recognizes that the people closest to the land often know it best.

Community comes before private interest. Our councils should govern for the people who are rooted here — the families, workers, farmers, and neighbours who call this valley home — not those who see it as an opportunity to cash in. The Cowichan Valley is not for sale.

Safe streets start with housed neighbours. A safe community is one where everyone has a roof over their head. When neighbours are sleeping in tents and doorways, no one is safer for it — not them, not the schools and businesses around them, not the rest of us. Homelessness isn't solved by pushing people out of sight. It's solved by making sure people have somewhere to go — and by building a valley with room for the people who work, farm, teach, care, and grow up here, not just those at the top of the market.

The services that hold this valley together are worth defending. Libraries, recreation centres, transit, parks, fire halls, water and waste systems, and the public workers who keep them running — together, they turn a place into a community. They are also the first things on the chopping block when councils face budget pressure or hand decisions to private operators. We believe public services should be funded properly, run publicly, and staffed by workers paid and treated fairly. A valley that lets its libraries close, its rec centres crumble, and its workers go underpaid is one that's quietly being hollowed out.

Reconciliation is a shared responsibility. Good governance in this territory means a genuine, working relationship with Cowichan Tribes and other Indigenous neighbours. Reconciliation moves forward through partnership, dialogue, and good-faith problem-solving — not fear and division. A strong relationship between local governments and Indigenous nations makes this valley better for everyone who calls it home.

Good government is honest government. Residents deserve transparency, accountability, and meaningful ways to be heard between elections — not just during them. That means councils that take expert staff advice seriously, follow their own community plans, and make decisions in the open — guided by evidence and the public interest, not by private pressure.

We can disagree without tearing each other apart. Healthy communities depend on neighbours being able to talk, listen, and find common ground, even on hard issues. The valley has weathered hard times — by pulling together, not pulling apart. We've done it before. We can do it again.