Did the Sustainable Victoria Network endorse candidates?

Yes. It endorsed six council candidates (Marg Gardiner, Stephen Hammond, Arthur McInnis, Karen Rothe, Wendy Bowkett and Melissa Cseszko) and Bruce McGuigan for mayor, with the reasoning and a link to each candidate's own website. On the preliminary results, Hammond, Gardiner, Cseszko and Bowkett were elected.

Election 2026: who ran, who we voted for, how the vote worked

The result, as the City counted it on election night

Preliminary figures from the City of Victoria's count of October 17. The chief election officer declares the official results by 4 p.m. on October 21, and a judicial recount can be asked for until October 26.

Mayor: Marianne Alto 13,505, Bruce McGuigan 10,531, Mike Harris 3,518, Darren Gervais-Harrison 1,530.

Council, eight seats: Stephen Hammond 15,092, Matt Dell 14,291, Marg Gardiner 14,208, Jeremy Caradonna 14,132, Melissa Cseszko 13,971, Jack Sandor 13,777, Wendy Bowkett 13,545, Dave Thompson 13,103. Next: Krista Loughton 13,088, Bella Lee 12,947, Arthur McInnis 12,931, Karen Rothe 12,806.

Four of the six council candidates we backed were elected: Hammond, Gardiner, Cseszko and Bowkett. Turnout was 41.4%, up from 36.8% in 2022. The full count, by voting place and by mail, is in the City's Statement of Votes Cast. What went wrong on the day, and what we are asking the City for, is on Count the vote.

Everything from the campaign

Candidates: the twenty-nine people who ran, who backed whom, and the five questions we put to every candidate.
Endorsements: the six we voted for on council and our pick for mayor, with the record behind each name.
How the vote worked: the dates, the twelve voting places, the ID rules and voting by mail, kept as a record.
Watch the debates: the mayoral debates and the all-candidates forum, as their hosts recorded them.
The OCP guide: the 2025 Official Community Plan, clause by clause.
The real tax bill: what Victoria homes pay, year by year, with every figure sourced.
Media tracker: what Victorians wrote about city hall, sorted by issue.
Count the vote: the mail ballots, the outages, the 15-vote seat, and what we are asking for.

How we spent the time until October 17

Watch: We watched every council meeting and read every agenda, so nothing slipped past unnoticed.
Translate: We turned hundred-page staff reports into short updates, with every source linked.
Back: We highlighted candidates who committed to consult-first governance, and asked the hard questions in public.
Turn out: We helped neighbours register, make a plan, and get to a voting place.

Twenty-nine people wanted your vote

Eight council seats and the mayor's chair were on the ballot. See everyone who ran, who we thought was worth your time and who was not, along with the groups that worked to influence the outcome.

On September 23, Victoria's firefighters endorsed the same six council candidates we voted for.

Everyone who ran

Questions people asked

When was the 2026 Victoria election?

Saturday, October 17, 2026, with voting places open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. BC law also requires advance voting; the City held four advance voting days, October 7, 13, 14 and 15, and offered voting by mail. Official results are declared by 4 p.m. on October 21. The dates, ID rules and voting places are kept on the how-the-vote-worked page.

Who could vote?

Canadian citizens who were 18 or older on election day, BC residents for at least six months, and living in Victoria on the day they registered. Property owners who live elsewhere in BC could qualify as non-resident property electors. Voters on the list brought one piece of ID; anyone could register right at the voting place with two pieces of ID, at least one bearing a signature. Details are on our how the vote worked page.

Did you endorse candidates?

Yes. We endorsed good policies that work, and the people committed to them. We shared what our research and thinking got us to and gave it to you to think over and decide for yourself, with every claim checkable: the six we supported for council, our pick for mayor, and the record behind each one. On the preliminary results, four of the six were elected.

Stay connected after the election

We'll keep watching council and writing up what it decides in plain language. Join our email list to stay in the know, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.