Why Voice of Nanaimo Is Changing Gears
WAKE UP NANAIMO
Voice of Nanaimo is changing gears this year.
Not because we are becoming a candidate campaign.
Not because we are endorsing anyone.
Not because we are interested in name-calling, mudslinging, or cheap political theatre.
We are changing gears because Nanaimo is heading into one of the most important civic elections in years — and the public cannot afford to sleepwalk through it.
The next general local election in British Columbia will be held on October 17, 2026. That means Nanaimo voters will soon be asked to choose who will guide this city for the next four years. That is not a casual decision. It is not something to think about only after the tax bill arrives. It is not something to leave to politicians, staff reports, campaign slogans, or backroom influence.
It belongs to the citizens.
And citizens need to be awake.
The Problem Is Not One Person. The Problem Is Public Apathy
In the 2022 Nanaimo election, voter turnout was only 24.4% of registered voters. Leonard Krog was re-elected mayor with 12,390 votes. Based on the turnout figures released by the City of Nanaimo, that means the mayor was elected with support from roughly 16% of registered voters.
That is not a personal criticism of the mayor.
It is a criticism of us.
It is a warning light on the dashboard of local democracy.
When fewer than one in four registered voters cast a ballot, the problem is not simply who wins. The problem is that the majority of citizens have surrendered the field before the game even begins.
And then, months later, people open their tax notices and wonder what happened.
What happened is simple: decisions were made while too many citizens were not paying attention.
The Time To Care About Taxes Is Before The Bill Arrives
Too many people treat local government like background noise — until the bill shows up.
But by the time the tax notice lands in the mailbox, the decisions have already been made. The budgets have been approved. The staffing increases have been accepted. The wage settlements have been locked in. The capital projects have been advanced. The reserves have been funded. The borrowing plans have been shaped.
That is why election-year public education matters.
The time to ask hard questions is not after the bill comes due.
The time to ask is before handing another four-year mandate to the people who make those decisions.
VON Will Be Opinionated — But It Will Be Independent
Voice of Nanaimo will not pretend to be neutral about taxation, public accountability, civic transparency, or the need for responsible local government.
We are not neutral about taxpayers being treated like an endless source of revenue.
We are not neutral about rising costs being brushed aside as if household budgets do not matter.
We are not neutral about public participation being weak, discouraged, ignored, or reduced to a three-minute formality.
But let this be clear: VON will not endorse individual candidates. VON will not accept paid advertising, promotion, or campaign material from candidates. If candidate platforms are published, they will be presented as that candidate’s own campaign promises — not as VON support.
Our role is not to pick your candidate.
Our role is to help voters understand the record, examine the promises, and ask whether real change is being offered.
The Record Deserves Daylight
This election cannot be fought on smiles, slogans, lawn signs, and vague promises.
Nanaimo voters deserve to know what has happened at City Hall.
They deserve to know how much city tax revenue has increased.
They deserve to know how fast wages, benefits, staffing, and operating costs have grown.
They deserve to understand the growing hospital tax burden.
They deserve to know whether core services are actually improving at the same pace as taxation.
They deserve to know which candidates are offering meaningful change — and which are simply offering more of the same with a different campaign photo.
That is not mudslinging.
That is democracy.
Union Support And Taxpayer Interests Must Be Discussed Honestly
This year, VON also intends to examine the relationship between organized labour, council candidates, campaign support, public-sector wage decisions, and the taxpayer.
That discussion must be handled fairly and factually.
Public-sector workers have every right to participate in democracy. Unions have every right to advocate for their members. Candidates have every right to seek support.
But taxpayers also have every right to ask whether a council heavily supported by public-sector interests can be expected to negotiate and govern with the taxpayer’s interest clearly in mind.
That is not anti-worker.
That is pro-accountability.
When wages, benefits, staffing levels, and public-sector costs are funded by taxpayers, voters deserve to know where candidates stand — and who stands behind them.
An Informed Electorate Is The Foundation Of Democracy
A properly working democracy does not begin on election day.
It begins months before, when citizens start paying attention.
It begins when people read the numbers for themselves.
It begins when they ask candidates specific questions.
It begins when they stop voting based on name recognition, social comfort, union loyalty, ideological labels, or who has the nicest brochure.
Voting is not just a right.
It is a civic duty.
And that duty does not end with marking a ballot. It includes becoming informed enough to know why you are voting, who you are voting for, and what kind of city you are helping create.
Wake Up Now — Or Pay Later
The rooster is not a decoration.
It is a warning.
Nanaimo is being called to wake up before another election passes with too many citizens watching from the sidelines.
If taxpayers are concerned about rising costs, they need to be involved before the next budget is passed.
If residents are concerned about public safety, they need to ask what has actually worked and what has merely been funded.
If citizens are concerned about infrastructure, water, roads, debt, staffing, wages, and city priorities, they need to demand clear answers before giving anyone another four-year term.
This election is too important to leave to the politicians.
It is too important to leave to insiders.
It is too important to leave to organized interests.
And it is far too important to leave to apathy.
Voice of Nanaimo is changing gears because Nanaimo needs more than election coverage.
It needs civic awakening.
Wake up, Nanaimo.
Get informed. Ask questions. Know the record. Then vote like it matters.
Because it does.
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