Wednesday November 12, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC [Updated November 15, 2025]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The Capital Regional District (CRD) board is holding steady for 2026 with the same chair and vice-chair heading into next year.
This is the fourth and final year of the current term for all CRD directors who were first elected in their respective municipalities in October 2022 as mayors or councillors. The next municipal election comes up on October 17, 2026.
Sidney Mayor Cliff McNeil-Smith has been acclaimed as the CRD Board Chair for a second year, and Metchosin Mayor Marie-Térèse Little has been acclaimed as the CRD Board Vice-Chair for a third year.
All the boards:
The Capital Regional District (CRD), Capital Regional Hospital District (CRHD), and Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC) Boards have elected their Chairs and Vice-Chairs to serve for the fourth and final year of the current term.
CRHD:
- The CRHD, a corporation of the CRD, is committed to improving and sustaining the region’s health infrastructure through its partnership with Island Health.
- Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch has been acclaimed to serve as the CRHD Board Chair for a fourth year and Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson has been acclaimed as the CRHD Board Acting Chair (aka Vice-Chair) for a second year.
- Murdoch and Goodmanson are an interesting leadership combination as Oak Bay is a long-established community while Langford has only in the past 15 year been reshaping itself as a modern municipality.
Arguably, the health-care file is a key area where significant change could be made for residents of the Capital Region. While health-care delivery is a provincial responsibility, various municipalities have been picking up the beat in some service areas where they see the need and where local taxpayers are supportive.
CRHC:
The CRHC is a wholly-owned, non-profit corporation of the CRD, developing and managing affordable housing for low income families, seniors, and persons living with disabilities across the region.
- Saanich Councillor Zac de Vries has been acclaimed to serve as the CRHC Board Chair for a fourth year;
- Victoria Councillor Jeremy Caradonna has been acclaimed as the CRHC Board Vice-Chair for a third year.
Leadership on this board by Saanich and Victoria sees the two largest municipalities leading the housing file.
Projects in 2026:
Work in the next year and “into the next term” is articulated by Chair Cliff McNeil-Smith as including:
- developing a Regional Transportation Plan and continuing the $53.5 million Regional Trestles Renewal, Trails Widening and Lighting Project;
- establishing a biosolids thermal processing facility in our region, which would be the first of its kind in Canada;
- working on the shared priorities in agreements with several First Nations by way of MOU and Protocol Agreements over the last year.
Large board:
There are 13 municipalities and three electoral areas in the CRD.
The board is comprised of 24 directors — one or more elected officials from each of the municipalities and electoral areas.
Each local government receives one director for every 25,000 population and receives one vote for every 5,000 population for matters requiring a weighted vote such as financial plans.
- This heavily weights decisions in the core municipal areas like Victoria (just under 100,000 population) and Saanich (over 120,000 population).
- Langford’s population is now over 50,000.
- Municipalities like Oak Bay, Esquimalt and Colwood have populations of about 17,000 to 20,000.
- Sidney has about 13,500 population.
The chair establishes standing committees, formalizes committee structures, and appoints committee chairs and vice-chairs as part of its governance structure.
CRCH:
The CRHC is a wholly-owned, non-profit corporation of the CRD, developing and managing affordable housing for low income families, seniors, and persons living with disabilities across the region.
Saanich Councillor Zac de Vries has been acclaimed to serve as the CRHC Board Chair for a fourth year and Victoria Councillor Jeremy Caradonna has been acclaimed as the CRHC Board Vice-Chair for a third year.
Regional priorities and initiatives:
The CRD, CRHD, and CRHC Boards lead decision-making on regional priorities and initiatives and provide oversight on a wide range of regional, sub-regional, and local services.
The CRD Board Priorities were developed at the start of the Board term and formed the basis of the CRD’s 2023-2026 Corporate Plan. The CRD’s Corporate Plan outlines actions to deliver on the CRD Board’s Priorities, approved plans and ongoing service commitments.
The CRD has more than 70 commissions and committees that oversee operations, some of which have delegated authority. This work involves many citizens who volunteer their services in the Southern Gulf Islands, Salt Spring Island, and Juan de Fuca electoral areas.
The capital region spans the Territories of approximately 20 First Nations and the CRD is committed to respectfully and appropriately engaging those First Nations’ communities in regional strategies, decision-making, and shared interests.
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NEWS SECTIONS: CAPITAL REGIONAL DISTRICT | GREATER VICTORIA