Victoria, BC 2026 Municipal Election Candidates

Marianne Alto

• Local democracy: Opposed the snap provincial election overlapping the municipal campaign, warning it confuses voters and drowns out local issues

Lean assessment: Progressive-leaning incumbent in BC's most left-leaning major city; emphasis on community services and local democracy.

Bruce McGuigan

• Transportation: Supports restoring Island rail as a priority to cut congestion, lower emissions and boost regional mobility

Lyall Atkinson

Lean assessment: Detailed issue positions are being verified — see the interactive tool above.

David Johnston

Lean assessment: Detailed issue positions are being verified — see the interactive tool above.

Darren Gervais-Harrison

Lean assessment: Detailed issue positions are being verified — see the interactive tool above.

Christopher Hanna

Lean assessment: Detailed issue positions are being verified — see the interactive tool above.

Mike Harris

Lean assessment: Detailed issue positions are being verified — see the interactive tool above.

Gregoor Miller

Lean assessment: Detailed issue positions are being verified — see the interactive tool above.

Jeremy Caradonna

• Housing: Strongly pro-housing: supports increased height and density in and around downtown to boost supply; claims over 9,000 homes approved in his first term, including 2,000+ affordable non-market homes and 4,000 purpose-built rentals.
• Transportation / climate: Supports expanding bike lanes and transit priority even at the expense of driving and parking capacity; backs rapid bus, light rail, and long-haul rail integrated with land use.
• Public safety / homelessness: Addresses street disorder primarily through outreach and services; helped house dozens of people from parks and guided creation of Victoria's first Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan.

Lean assessment: Independent but labour-endorsed (MoveUP 2026) and consistently votes with Victoria's progressive majority: pro-density housing, bike lanes, tax increases, harm-reduction-adjacent safety policies.

Matt Dell

• Housing: Strongly pro-housing: supported the Missing Middle housing initiative and rapid development of affordable housing; favours adding housing supply near key transit corridors.
• Transportation: Supportive of rapid bus, light rail, long-haul rail, bike lanes and mobility pathways; wants transit planning done alongside land-use planning.
• Downtown / public spaces: Moved a 2026 motion for staff to review and strengthen the City's enforcement tools for derelict buildings, neglected properties and vacant commercial spaces.

Lean assessment: Independent, labour-endorsed (MoveUP 2026) and pragmatic; described as a council moderate who typically votes with the progressive majority (e.g. supported Missing Middle, 2024 pay raise).

Marg Gardiner

• Public safety / harm reduction: Repeatedly moved to close Victoria's only supervised consumption site, The Harbour, and has called 'harm reduction' an 'obscene phrase'; her motions were defeated 7–1 each time.
• Taxes and spending: Voted against the 2025 tax rates, the 2026 final budget (calling it an 'election budget'), and the 2024 council pay raise; campaigning on zero-based budgeting and measurable results.
• Governance: Strong advocate for open government, authentic public consultation and transparent decision-making; opposes the influence of special interest groups.

Lean assessment: Independent but the council's most consistent dissenting vote on the left-majority council (7–1 votes), anti-tax-increase, anti-supervised-consumption, backed by the right-leaning 'Our Victoria' grassroots groups.

Susan Kim

• Housing: Running on the Victoria For All platform to double city investment in affordable housing and increase supply of affordable non-market and rental housing.
• Renter protections: Supports stronger protections against renoviction and demoviction as part of the Victoria For All shared platform.
• Homelessness / public health: Backs expanded mental health and addictions crisis response; previously pressed for increased provincial funding to fix Victoria's healthcare system and attract healthcare workers.

Lean assessment: Running with the new left-progressive Victoria For All slate (Victoria Progressive Electors org), labour-endorsed (MoveUP 2026); platform centres affordable housing, renter protections and expanded social services.