• Politics

Firefighters, labour council and a resident network back rival slates in Victoria council race

Three outside groups are endorsing candidates in Victoria's council race ahead of the 17 October vote: the city's firefighters union, the Victoria Labour Council and the Sustainable Victoria Network. Each has its own priorities and its own list of names.

Victoria Firefighters, IAFF Local 730

Local 730 says its members identified six priorities for the 2026 election. ¹ Union president Josh Montgomery said the union brought the issues forward because it felt they affected public and firefighter safety, and invited all candidates to weigh in. ² The Times Colonist listed them as: ²

Opposing single-stair egress in new multi-family buildings, high-rise emergency response resources, street design that keeps emergency response times to a minimum, violence against first responders, more mental health support for first responders, and adequate response resources around the Inner Harbour and Vic West. ²⁹

The union endorsed seven council candidates after interviewing those seeking election: incumbents Stephen Hammond and Marg Gardiner, and newcomers Melissa Cseszko, Arthur Mcinnis, Karen Rothe, Jason Heit and Wendy Bowkett. ¹

Notes on the endorsements:

It is the first election in the union's 168-year history in which it has endorsed candidates, after it registered as a third-party advertising sponsor with Elections BC. ¹

It endorsed no one for mayor. "We're not endorsing a candidate for mayor," Montgomery said. "Our endorsements are focused on where we believe we can have the greatest impact on our six issues." ¹

The union said that not receiving an endorsement should not be read as opposing firefighters' issues. ¹ Montgomery said the union is focusing on candidates "who align with our issues, are willing to take the pledge." ²

Political scientist David Black told the Times Colonist that an endorsement appeals to "the low-information voter who's maybe not going to read the platforms online." He said firefighters "have a certain amount of inbuilt trust." ²

Victoria Labour Council

The Times Colonist reported that the council chose 40 candidates across the region based on their stance on affordable housing, investing in community amenities, childcare and classroom funding. ² The council's own page also lists protecting and expanding reliable, publicly delivered services among its key issues. ³

For mayor in Victoria, it endorsed incumbent Marianne Alto. ³ It also endorsed eight council candidates: incumbents Jeremy Caradonna, Matt Dell, Susan Kim, Krista Loughton and Dave Thompson, and newcomers Peter Rose Gibbs, Bella Lee and Jack Sandor. ³

Notes on the endorsements:

None of the eight is among the firefighters' seven council endorsements. ¹³ After the firefighters' announcement, four of the endorsed incumbents (Dell, Caradonna, Loughton and Thompson) issued a statement. They said "VLC-endorsed incumbents have enthusiastically supported our firefighters through the hiring of 16 new Fire staff, including 14 unionized members." ¹

Sustainable Victoria Network

The network calls itself "an independent, volunteer-run group of residents from across the city." ⁴ Its site says many members do not want their names made public. ⁴ Vic Local has not confirmed who runs it or whether it is registered with Elections BC.

It says it assessed candidates against six issues: governance and public trust, development and neighbourhoods, housing and affordability, the urban forest, transportation and infrastructure, and safety and well-being. ⁵

It backs six council candidates: incumbents Gardiner and Hammond, and newcomers Arthur McInnis, Karen Rothe, Wendy Bowkett and Melissa Cseszko. ⁶ It backs Bruce McGuigan for mayor. ⁵

Notes on the endorsements:

The network says all six are also endorsed by the firefighters, and that it has not assessed Heit, the firefighters' seventh pick. ⁸

It says it has donated to no campaign and been paid by none. ⁵

The site calls the current council "the Gang of 5 and Mayor Alto." It says they "pushed through far-reaching and consequential development rules most residents never heard about, and raised your city taxes 35% while in office." ⁶ The five it names are Dell, Caradonna, Loughton, Kim and Thompson. ⁶ These are the network's own claims, and Vic Local has not verified the 35 per cent figure.

The network says it is speaking up because the Labour Council settled on its eight names privately before nominations opened. ⁵

Events this week

A candidates' forum is on Tuesday, 13 October at United Commons, 932 Balmoral Ave. ⁷ As of 8 October, three mayoral candidates and seven council candidates had confirmed. ⁷ The network's site also lists a Fairfield all-candidates event on Wednesday, 14 October, at the Sir James Douglas school gym, 401 Moss St. ⁶