We are committed to a change in City Council and how it operates.
We need a better-managed Victoria that is transparent and accountable, values neighbourhoods, supports balanced growth and provides responsible fiscal management.
Our James Bay, Our Victoria is a non-ideological, neighbourhood-led movement. We are issues-driven. We are not endorsed, supported or affiliated with any political organization or special interest group.
We are concerned about how the majority of Victoria City Council (commonly known as the Gang of Five) has made decisions over the past four years. Their decisions are undemocratic in process and are not only ineffective, but harmful in outcomes. They have had negative impacts on our city, our neighbourhood and the well-being of our residents.
We are committed to a change in City Council by replacing the Gang of Five with councillors who:
James Bay is a great neighbourhood. It is the oldest neighbourhood on the west coast north of San Francisco. It houses a diverse population within a complex mix of density, rental housing, heritage, tourism and waterfront activity. Its unique character and liveability is increasingly at risk by the decisions made by the current Gang of Five majority who vote as a block on most issues. They support special interests and not the best interests of our neighbourhoods or the public good for Victoria as a whole.
The following are just a few examples of decisions made, mostly by the current Gang of Five majority, that have had negative impacts on our neighbourhood of James Bay and our City.
The 2022 MNP Governance Review: Recommendations remain ignored.
The Code of Conduct: Changed to remove the public’s right to file complaints against councillors. Dave Thompson, a Gang of Five member, moved the amendment which was supported by the full Gang of Five and Mayor Alto.
Official Community Plan (OCP): Revised without meaningful consultation or input. Consultation timelines were shortened. Key community groups were excluded. A biased survey presented only two narrow options and questions leading to predetermined outcomes. Community input was ignored, including a James Bay petition with over 2,363 signatures (more than the number of people who completed the City’s survey).
Perceived conflicts of interest and bias: Increasing concerns over the Gang of Five’s alignment with the development industry and voting as a bloc to support the political interests of their NDP and Labour Council endorsers. The Gang of Five refused to recuse themselves from voting on development proposals whose developers have contributed to their election campaigns.
Pay increase: The Gang of Five voted themselves a 25% pay increase shortly after taking office. They backed down after massive public backlash.
Pre-election promises and post-election voting records. Promises and actions do not align for the Gang of Five. They told James Bay residents they supported gentle development and community consultation. What happened? Instead, the Gang of Five supported aggressive high-density development and reduced community consultation.
Council liaison relationship redefined. Councillors Caradonna and Dell from the Gang of Five have made it clear that their role as Council liaison with James Bay is one-directional only - to inform the community about Council activities. It is not to present community concerns to Council to be addressed.
City planning and land use decisions previously relied on local area plans to balance development and preserve neighbourhood character.
Now, every neighbourhood is under attack with the Gang of Five using a city-wide, one-size-fits-all approach to development and growth: the “One City, One Plan” Official Community Plan.
Neighbourhood associations and residents no longer have a say in what is built and how that directly impacts each community.
Indiscriminate approvals. The Gang of Five has approved every single development proposal in James Bay (with only one exception by Caradonna). Frequently, development decisions were approved contrary to recommendations of staff.
Housing targets. Targets under the new OCP, are inflated, inaccurate and unrealistic. They significantly exceed BC Stats population growth forecasts.
Massive upzoning. New OCP allows up to 6 storey buildings in residential areas, 12 storeys in community villages and 18 storeys in town centres. These go way beyond provincial requirements.
Unfair distribution. The new OCP unfairly targets James Bay. James Bay is already the densest neighbourhood in Victoria. Yet, the new OCP designates more “priority growth areas” for more density here than any other neighbourhood.
Neither Council nor staff can explain the OCP boundary change that benefited a controversial 14 storey luxury condo development proposal at the Montreal/Quebec/Kingston corner.
Boundaries were quietly redrawn after the revised OCP was publicly released.
This change has the effect of immediate approval in principle of the development proposal. Prior to the boundary change, the site was part of James Bay and the building height required a public hearing. After the boundary change, the height was interpreted as not contravening the denser height standards of the Downtown Plan. A public hearing, already scheduled, was no longer required.
The impact on James Bay residents has not changed. Yet they were denied public notice of the change and denied a public hearing.
James Bay and other neighbourhoods in Victoria have unique heritage and character properties that are valuable assets to our history. They also support a multi-million dollar tourism industry.
Rather than protecting heritage and historic properties, the OCP focuses on increased density which favours demolition over conversion and preservation.
Many developers purchase older properties intending to achieve more profits from high density new builds. This encourages them to abandon maintenance on these properties without consequence and to then justify demolition as the only solution.
Residents of Medana Street and South Turner Street had applied for heritage designation years ago under the former Heritage Conservation Area program. Their applications were put on hold awaiting new protections under the new OCP. The new OCP has no heritage protection provisions, leaving these streets unprotected.
The Gang of Five has promised to study the feasibility of designating James Bay a Heritage Conservation Area. However, this is an empty promise because they refused to set any timeframes and, in the interim, there are no protections.
Market-priced housing. The City has exceeded its already inflated housing targets by focusing almost exclusively on market-priced housing which is unaffordable for average households.
The Gang of Five has virtually abandoned targets for affordable housing, relying on their misguided “trickle-down theory”. This theory claims that any additional supply, no matter how expensive at the top, will eventually free up affordable housing at the bottom. Credible experts have challenged this theory as not evidence-based.
Loss of older affordable housing. The most affordable housing is existing older housing. James Bay has many low rise apartment buildings where rents are very affordable. These are at risk of being demolished to create greater density (and greater profits). This further reduces the existing stock of affordable housing. Research shows that Canada lost 10 affordable units for every new one built over a decade. Witness the new building at Niagara & Menzies where very affordable units were replaced by market rent units.
Reduced requirements for developers. Through the Gang of Five majority, Council has reduced requirements for developers to include affordable units (from 20% to 10%), while adding a 10 year tax exemption for the lower requirement. Cash-in-lieu contributions to the Housing Reserve Fund were also reduced from 70% to 30%. The OCP eliminates any developer contribution.
Offer of a 20% discount on market-priced rent in a new development is meaningless and unaffordable for most tenants. Compensation was also limited to 6 months.
The Gang of Five had a change of heart after the election was announced and voted in favour of improvements they had previously rejected. Since July, compensation has increased by $200 for moving expenses and longer term tenants can now be compensated for up to 24 months.
The majority of James Bay residents are renters and deserve better. Tenants groups have long advocated for Burnaby-style protections: full bridge compensation to cover the difference between their old and new rent and the right of first refusal on a new unit at the old rent.
Loss of mature trees and greenspace place eco-systems of plants and wildlife at risk. They also impede urban canopy targets and climate goals.
Remember the flowering plum trees on Menzies at Niagara? Gone, because they interfered with development. The Gang of Five have not learned from past mistakes. They refused to strengthen the City’s Tree Protection Bylaw to protect mature trees from removal in areas zoned for development in the new OCP.
Replacing mature trees with new saplings cannot compensate for the lost benefits of older trees to our environment and liveability. Replacement plantings are also too small, and often planted without proper soil and growing space to provide future canopy.
Rezoning marine lands. In late June, the Gang of 5 rezoned all marine lands for higher industrial use, including Ogden Point. Neither Matt Dell, the city rep to the GVHA, nor the GVHA Board informed James Bay residents of this rezoning. Due to quick response by James Bay residents, Council delayed rezoning Ogden Point … for now.
Reduced traffic lanes, loss of parking, increased congestion and idling impede the flow of traffic in and out of James Bay. With the neighbourhood surrounded on three sides by water, this also poses risks to health and safety in emergencies or evacuations.
The city has not responded with any urgency to resident complaints of Victoria being the dumping ground for all cruise ship waste. Nor to the transportation impact of cruise passengers and speeding taxis and noise impact of ships leaving port.
Overall infrastructure (e.g. sewer, fire protection) is out of step with the pace of growth and density. The Gang of Five and the Mayor have not taken any initiative to change this. So who pays? City Taxpayers.
Firefighters’ priorities: Firefighters have called for a multi-year capital plan to ensure high-rise response standards. They have warned against single-stair egress building designs to ensure more than one way out for residents escaping and firefighters advancing. They have also criticized road designs that interfere with emergency vehicle access along emergency corridors. See www.safevictoria.ca.
New sewer lift station built on Superior Street without full disclosure or consultation. Noxious odour, noise and size has impacted liveability for residents in adjacent properties and the broader neighbourhood.
Perpetually rising taxes. The Gang of Five raised property taxes higher and higher every year, amounting to a 35% increase over their tenure, more than double the rate of inflation. Business owners and renters also end up paying those taxes.
Consultation reduced. Replaced with biased surveys on budget which limit responses. Councillors Caradonna, Dell and Thompson made it clear that any engagement beyond the survey was totally unnecessary.
Pet projects. Too many expenditures are for too many pet projects (e.g. $750,000 for redesign of Centennial Square to create a splash park by removing a giant sequoia and historic fountain; purchase of a jazz club; loan to a curling club; unsolicited contribution for a neighbourhood festival.)
Core responsibilities. Time and tax dollars are wasted on issues that are beyond city jurisdiction, while core responsibilities remain unaddressed.
Increase in City staff and staff budgets. These have grown significantly without demonstrable improvements in outcomes. (e.g. Public engagement budgets have increased despite reduced consultations and funds are used more as self-serving marketing strategies.)
Crystal Pool: Referendum provided no modest replacement options. No collaboration with other municipalities to share costs. All costs born by Victoria taxpayers. 19 months after referendum, still no deal while construction costs continue to escalate. Taxpayers deserve some information before the election.
Increased crime enforcement to manage street disorder does not address the real causes: homelessness, mental health and addictions, isolation and poverty.
The Gang of Five needs to focus on innovative and collaborative community and multi-jurisdictional solutions.
This is why Victoria needs a change in City Council in 2026.
Do not re-elect the Gang of Five.
Elections provide us an opportunity to voice our concerns about the issues that really matter to us. They also allow us to hold our elected officials accountable on their record and to assess new candidates on their promises.
If you believe that a change is needed in how our city has been run in the last four years, this election is your opportunity to make that change happen. If you believe that Victoria deserves better, this is your chance to make a difference by voting out the Gang of Five and voting in candidates you can trust.
We need a Council that is open, honest and listens to communities and their residents, not just the special interests of those who support them.
We need a Council that is accountable for their decisions and conduct with processes in place to ensure it.
The new OCP is a flawed city bylaw that can and must be repealed and replaced.
We need more housing but targets need to be based on accurate, realistic forecasts.
Density needs to be realistic and based on local neighbourhood needs and priorities.
Impacts of density need to be measured and evaluated to ensure a reasonable pace of development and transition, and to avoid unintended consequences.
The real crisis is affordability, not market-priced supply.
We need affordable housing NOW, for household incomes of under $80,000.
That means non-profit housing built by non-profit housing providers, funded by federal and provincial governments. City-owned lands need to be available for this.
James Bay's historic homes and human-scale streetscapes are assets worth preserving and must be protected.
New housing should add to and complement our unique neighbourhood character, not destroy it.
We need to end traffic congestion and promote liveability.
Infrastructure needs to keep pace with the level of growth and density.
The City needs to assess infrastructure costs and receive developers’ guarantees to pay before any development is approved.
We need to strengthen Victoria’s Tree Protection Bylaw to better protect existing mature trees from removal for increased density development.
We need to protect our waterfront and public spaces from upzoning for increased development.
We need a Council that can live within its means.
We need a Council that respects taxpayer dollars, focuses on its core responsibilities and plans for the future.
This two-page pamphlet summarizes the issues that matter to James Bay, our priorities and the six independent Council candidates we recommend.
Six practical voices committed to the issues that matter to James Bay. These candidates are independent. They are not running as a slate.
Our James Bay, Our Victoria has researched all the candidates based on issues identified as critical for James Bay and for the City. We have examined the voting records of incumbents and compared it to the promises they made during the 2022 election. For all candidates, we have researched their websites and their campaign literature. We have attended candidates’ meetings and asked them questions about the most critical issues for our James Bay and our city. Our support is not based on any political party affiliation or ideology.
We may not agree on every issue on every candidate but we have identified the candidates we believe best represent the interests of James Bay and our City. We have also identified those candidates who we believe do not represent our best interests, including ones affiliated with groups opposed to our local interests.
A James Bay and longtime Victoria resident and community-sector leader.
Accountable City Hall • responsible use of public resources • affordable housing • public safety • stronger neighbourhood voices
James Bay resident and current councillor seeking re-election. Sixteen years of neighbourhood association service.
Community voice · safe streets · liveable neighbourhoods · prudent fiscal management
Councillor since 2022 seeking re-election. Lawyer and long time community volunteer.
Public safety · housing choices · efficient and effective service
A business strategist and former Victoria Downtown Residents Association leader.
Public trust · transparent ethical governance · livability and affordability · responsible spending
A Victoria born small business owner.
Accountability · safe streets and public spaces · strengthen local economy · support for local business
James Bay resident, law professor and former international construction and projects lawyer.
Evidence-based decision making · accountability and public interest · infrastructure-first growth · public safety
A Vic West resident. Experience in public sector and emergency planning.
Resident voices · stronger neighbourhoods · liveability · practical long term planning
The "Gang of Five" is the name residents have used to describe five incumbent councillors who have managed to form a majority on City Council by voting as a bloc on most decisions. Their vote also reflects the political interests of the organizations that endorse and support them such as the NDP and the Labour Council.
We have listed many of their decisions under “What Has Gone Wrong? Why We Need Change” above.
The members of the Gang of Five are Jeremy Caradonna, Matt Dell, Susan Kim, Krista Loughton, and Dave Thompson. Mayor Marianne Alto frequently votes with the Gang of Five on their decisions. That often increases their majority to six votes out of nine.
During the 2022 election campaign, then candidates Jeremy Caradonna, Matt Dell and Dave Thompson were interviewed by a team of James Bay residents. Krista Loughton did not respond to requests for an interview and Susan Kim could only spare 15 minutes. As mentioned on this website, their promises do not align with their subsequent actions and voting record.
The Gang of Five also insisted they were independent and not affiliated with any particular group or ideology. However, they tend to vote as a bloc. They also vote in line with the political interests of the NDP and Labour Council who have endorsed and continue to endorse them. Their record, compared to their promises, proves the Gang of Five cannot be trusted at their word.
For a full record of decisions made by all incumbents on all issues, see votereadyvictoria.ca. Judge for yourself.
We recommend NOT VOTING FOR the GANG of FIVE Candidates for Council.
We recommend NOT VOTING for the following candidates because of their affiliation with the Gang of Five and their lack of alignment with the issues we stand for:
Please check votereadyvictoria.ca for the voting records of all incumbents. For a full list of candidates, see victoria.ca/city-government/elections.
Use the official City of Victoria election page for the latest dates, locations, mail-ballot information, accessibility options and ID requirements.
Saturday, October 17, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eligible Victoria voters may use any City voting location. James Bay voters can use the James Bay Community School at 140 Oswego Street.
October 7, 13, 14 and 15. The City lists five advance voting opportunities, including UVic on October 14.
Registered voters need one piece of ID. If registering at the voting place, bring two pieces of ID and at least one must include your signature.
Mail ballots can be requested online through the City or by calling 250-361-0571 until Friday, October 9 at 4 p.m.
All voting locations are wheelchair accessible. The City also lists curbside voting and other assistance options.
Change the balance at City Hall. Elect independent candidates who are open and honest,
value your community and will be fiscally responsible.
Use the form to contact the campaign. Your message will be routed privately to the campaign team.
Contact yourjbvote2026@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.
Neighbourhood groups across Victoria are organizing around local issues and the 2026 municipal election.
