1148 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

CRD board backs provisional budget, with tax increase shaved to 6.3%

 

Less money will be transferred to reserve funds to keep the 2026 provisional budget at $907 million.

https://www.timescol...-to-63-11421872

[Mike K.]

Most Stratas have not put sufficient regular contributions into their contingency funds often resulting in later major levies required on later owners for the needed work.

Even after a minimum contribution was required in the Strata act it is still often not sufficient.

Most people including most home owners do not plan ahead for major repairs. Do only what has to be done now worry about later when it arrives.

Yes, exactly. And this is how our municipalities have ended up being managed over the last couple of decades.

Too little, too late for the important stuff, like roads and major infrastructure, or investment into policing, or into economic buffers. The dry stuff, if you will.

The province has changed the strata act and now requires stratas to be more proactive with their reserve funds. But ultimately, whether residents pay now or later, the job has to get done. Cities, though, spend a lot of time and resources on things the electorate by and large would never support if given the chance, then paying for the important stuff becomes a tragic financial dilemma. Look at Sooke with its bypass. $50 million is what the district is budgeting, whereas the same stretch could have been built 15 years ago for a small fraction of that cost.

[Mike K.]

CRD board backs provisional budget, with tax increase shaved to 6.3%

Less money will be transferred to reserve funds to keep the 2026 provisional budget at $907 million.
https://www.timescol...-to-63-11421872

3x inflation.

And to Tony’s strata point, take note of the reserve fund decision. See what I mean?

[Victoria Watcher]

Big cuts proposed to reduce Victoria’s draft 13% tax increase for 2026

 

 

Given the proposed CRD tax increase would add 6.3 per cent to Victoria taxpayers, adding up to a total 19 per cent tax increase, Treleaven says the burden is too substantial.

 

“That’s astronomic in the current circumstance,” said Treleaven.

 

For the City of Victoria, the main cost driving the budget increase are employee pay, debt repayments, asset management, policing requests and the new police and bylaw hire spree the city of Victoria started in the summer.

 

Following the release of the Community Safety and Wellbeing (CSW) Plan, in July the city diverted $10.3 million from 2025’s budget to hire nine police officers and 12 bylaw officers.

 

In the 2026 draft budget, the public is learning for the first time those hires will cost the city $8.9 million annually.

 

 

https://cheknews.ca/...r-2026-1287880/

 

 

 

 

 

Housing hundreds of homeless was supposed to bring down our costs.     

 

 

 

• September 17, 2015: Helps, along with councillors Ben Isitt and Jeremy Loveday, proposed that the Capital Regional District (CRD) borrow $50 million to build 367 supportive housing units for chronically homeless people. The plan framed this as a low per-household cost ($11.18 annually over 15 years, or $2 million/year in financing) to "end homelessness" in the region, positioning it as a break from ineffective, high-cost systems like repeated emergency interventions. Isitt, supporting Helps, emphasized investing in "social infrastructure" like housing over physical infrastructure alone, implying long-term savings. The proposal was debated and passed by Victoria City Council on this date, marking Helps' public push for Housing First as a cost-justified solution.
• 2017 (Ongoing Advocacy): In op-eds and interviews, Helps referenced broader Canadian research (e.g., the At Home/Chez Soi study) showing Housing First saves money by curbing over-use of services—annual costs for homeless individuals with mental illness drop from ~$53,000/person (on shelters, health care, and justice systems) to offset program expenses by up to 67%. While not a direct quote from Helps, she cited this in Victoria-specific contexts to justify expanded housing, calling it "much more effective" than fragmented supports.

 

May 4, 2025: Alto praised two developments adding ~300 affordable and supportive units (total provincial investment ~$100 million), calling them a "significant step forward as we address our complex housing crisis." She emphasized bringing "people sheltering outside indoors so they can have stability, dignity and support," aligning with Housing First's proven model of lowering overall system costs through prevention of crises.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 November 2025 - 10:59 PM.

[Mike K.]

Keep in mind that the City has added thousands of new homes in recent years. If the pipeline of housing were to decrease, what would the tax burden look like then?

Also, below market projects do not necessarily pay taxes at the same rate as does other housing. Some don’t pay at all, but the residents still rely on municipal services. Some facilities have an extreme level of demand for policing and emergency services via fire, relative to the general population.

[Victoria Watcher]

Victoria mayor says tax hike could drop below double digits, but not much more

As it stands, the city’s portion of a tax hike would be 5.4 per cent, but the Victoria police budget represents a tax hike of 5.02 per cent, for a total of more than 10 per cent.


https://www.timescol...h-more-11567992

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 December 2025 - 12:03 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Campbell River limits tax increase to 2.7% for 2026

https://cheknews.ca/...r-2026-1293167/

[Victoria Watcher]

Looks like the CoV is settling into a 10%+ increase.

[Victoria Watcher]

Does this statement make sense?



Victoria’s ready to pitch its first draft of the 2026 budget and gather more feedback from residents. With early council conversations out of the way, the city’s 2026-2030 draft financial plan is ready for public input. A 5.42 per cent tax increase is currently proposed for the city’s portion of the budget alongside the police department’s 5.02 per cent increase request – making the total proposed tax increase 10.44 per cent.

Read more at: https://vicnews.com/...rease-for-2026/

[Victoria Watcher]

The police budget is just a portion of the overall City budget. You can’t just add the percentages together.

The actual police increase must be quite high.

[Victoria Watcher]

AI:


The Victoria Police Department (VicPD) is seeking a significant budget increase for 2026, proposing an almost 14% rise to nearly $90 million, requesting around $11 million in additional funds from Victoria and Esquimalt for staffing (including 8 new officers), rising costs, and integrated unit expenses, sparking debate and review by local councils despite previous increases.

[IPH]

Vancouver has approved a 0% property tax increase for 2026.  

 

Vancouver City Council approves 2026 Budget with 0% property tax increase | City of Vancouver

[Mike K.]

Stirling played a heck of a clip from a former bylaw employee at the City, from the last council meeting, who says he was bullied by his superiors and coworkers following a short term rental application.

[Victoria Watcher]

Victoria taxpayers face questionable budget

 

How does the proposed increase in the Victoria’s budget compare to those already approved or current budget asks of the larger cities in B.C.?

 

Not well at all.

 

Five cities have already approved their budget for 2026, including Chilliwack (4.9%), Delta (2.9%), Langley City (5.82%), Kelowna (4.37%), and Coquitlam (3.37%).

 

As yet, there’s no budget proposal from Surrey and Abbotsford: Surrey is trying to grapple with their police budget following the provincial decision to move forward with the transition to the Surrey Police Service.

 

Abbotsford has delayed deliberations until February as a result of proposed changes to pipeline property tax assessments.

 

Six other cities are working on their latest proposed budget increases, including the North Vancouver City (2.9%), Maple Ridge (3.5%), Nanaimo (6.3%), Richmond (3.04%), Kamloops (6.7%), Burnaby (4.8%), and Vancouver (0%).

 

Neighbouring Saanich initially proposed a hike of 8.74%, but the revised goal is less than 5%.

 

Then there is Victoria, asking for a startling 10.44%.

 

https://www.timescol...irport-11735947

 

Victoria’s staff report in the fall, which suggested nearly $18.3 million in savings by re-evaluating operational efficiencies over a five-year plan, got a muted response from council.

 

The city provides more than 200 services and programs. Are there some that can be eliminated or privatized? How can a doubling of staff to 34 since 2021 in the department of people and culture be justified?

 

What are the staff costs to regulate short-term rentals properties as a result of new provincial legislation? Can some budget costs be attributed to lawsuits against the city? How much revenue is foregone because of unpaid parking tickets?

 

Often the outliers in the province, why-oh-why are the Victoria mayor and council asking for a gut-wrenching hike of 10.44%?

 

 

 

Stan Bartlett, vice chair

Grumpy Taxpayer$ of Greater Victoria

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 January 2026 - 06:07 AM.

[Mike K.]

I’m curious to see what Sooke comes up with. The taxation trajectory in Sooke rivals, or maybe even exceeds Victoria.

[lanforod]

The only one of those I'd be happy with given all the recent huge hikes is == Vancouver. This is the first I've seen though that Saanich is now trying to push under 5%. 

[Mike K.]

They should all be dropping by 2%. Then 2% against next year, and 2% down the year thereafter, and keep dropping through 2030.

It is not difficult to find 2% savings in any department. This year they have split the percentages visually on graphs into City vs VicPD to show it’s not all driven by City Hall’s internal spending.

[Victoria Watcher]

Esquimalt council is reconsidering a proposed 13 per cent property tax increase as part of its Draft 2026 Financial Plan.

Council asked staff at the Jan. 12 meeting to return with alternative scenarios showing what lower increases would mean for municipal services and long-term planning.

Council received an overview of the proposed outlines with a 13 per cent tax revenue increase, of which the largest share was for police services, at close to 10 per cent of the overall budget and accounting for three per cent of the overall proposed tax hike.

Read more at: https://vicnews.com/...3-tax-increase/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 January 2026 - 07:46 AM.

[Mike K.]

13%, plus the significantly higher property taxation payments derived from several new residential buildings? There are several million dollars in new tax revenues coming in for 2026, no? Oakwoods is complete, Proxima is complete, the Cambie rental redevelopment is complete, and soon the Head Street condo will complete. There may even be another larger build I'm forgetting about. Is the social housing project on Craigflower property tax-free?

 

Esquimalt has gone full tilt on its bike lane inventory. That must have been exceptionally expensive.

[Tony]

$500,000 awarded to Esquimalt for 1.1 km of protected bike lanes on Esquimalt Road, plus pedestrian signage improvements.

 

The Township is responsible for the remaining project costs not covered by the provincial grant.Funding is integrated into the Esquimalt Road Active Transportation Improvements & Underground Utility Renewals Project, which bundles bike lanes with sewer/water upgrades to reduce disruption and cost overlap.

 

What’s Included in the Esquimalt Road Project

 

Protected bike lanes (AAA standard)

Road resurfacing

Sidewalk improvements

Underground utility renewals (water, sewer, storm)

Intersection safety upgrades

New pedestrian signage

Edited by Tony, 15 January 2026 - 09:46 AM.