Wednesday April 15, 2026 | SOOKE, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
District of Sooke council has adopted their 2026-2030 Five-Year Financial Plan, with a 10.5% property tax increase in 2026.
The municipal portion of the increase is approximately $17.54 per month (on an average property — the assessment value for a single family home in Sooke is $798,000 this year).
About half of what is actually levied on property owners is out of Sooke’s control. Sooke only collects taxes that have been approved by other agencies such as the Capital Regional District, the Vancouver Island Library Board, and Sooke School District 62.
What is the increase for:
The 10.5% District of Sooke municipal portion of the tax increase is driven by the following key components:
- 3.04% – Fire: Additional staffing, including two career firefighters, and maintaining emergency response capacity
- 2.60% – Police: Two additional RCMP officers, including school and community liaison services
- 2.00% – Asset Management: Investment in maintaining and replacing infrastructure such as roads and facilities
- 1.81% – General Municipal: Ongoing operational costs and service delivery, including roads, parks and trails, bylaw, and legislative services
- 0.97% – E-Comm 9-1-1: Full-year funding for emergency call answering and dispatch services
- 0.08% – Debt Servicing
Adding more fire and police services is a challenge faced by many growing municipalities.
Meanwhile, general municipal staffing levels will see modest reductions through vacancy management. This includes reviewing vacant positions before refilling them and, where appropriate, delaying or adjusting hiring while maintaining service levels and safety.
Somewhat out of the control of 10 South Vancouver Island municipalities this year was covering a fee to pay for 911 services. Municipalities knew about the increase as far back as December 2019 but hid their heads in the sand — protest was only raised to the provincial government in January 2025 but nothing was really done about it.
4-3 split:
When Council voted on the Budget on Monday night (April 13), it was a 4-3 split in favour of the budget.
Mayor Maja Tait voted in favour, as did Jeff Bateman, Al Beddows, and Tony St-Pierre. Voting in opposition to the budget were Herb Haldane, Megan McMath, and Kevin Pearson.
That vote split pretty much represents progressive vs conservative.
Priorities:
The 2026 budget prioritizes community safety, infrastructure and services that residents reply on every day.
“Council’s role is to balance affordability with the services people rely on every day,” said Mayor Maja Tait.
“This budget reflects that balance – maintaining community safety, investing in infrastructure, and planning responsibly for the future,” said Tait in a news release today.
Tax increase:
The 2026 budget includes a 10.5% property tax increase, or about $17.54 per month for the average single-family home.
The District of Sooke outline these items as driving the increase:
- 3.04% – Fire: Two additional career firefighters and maintaining emergency response capacity
- 2.60% – Police: Two additional RCMP officers, including school and community liaison services
- 2.00% – Asset Management: Maintaining and replacing infrastructure like roads and facilities
- 1.81% – General Municipal: Day-to-day services such as roads, parks and trails, bylaw, and legislative requirements
- 0.97% – E-Comm 9-1-1: Full-year funding for emergency call answering and dispatch
- 0.08% – Debt Servicing
The draft plan includes key investments in community safety, with new firefighters expected to start in July and new RCMP officers anticipated in September. It also reflects a full year of E-Comm 9-1-1 funding (approximately $430,000), which is now a municipal responsibility.
Council has worked through multiple budget scenarios over the past several months, balancing service levels, safety, and long-term financial sustainability in a growing community.
Affordability:
District of Sooke council recognizes that affordability remains a shared concern, as stated in today’s budget news release.
“Council continues to work toward reducing reliance on residential taxation over time,” the District says.
“This includes advocacy to other orders of government for more sustainable funding models, including securing a more balanced share of revenues that better reflects the services municipalities are responsible for delivering,” says the District of Sooke.
Community input:
Each year, the Sooke budget is shaped by community input.
Through the municipality’s annual survey and community pop-ups, more than 1,700 people shared their perspectives to help identify priorities and guide decision-making.
That early input has played an important role in shaping the draft financial plan.
The District was taking public input on the Budget right up to April 8 with a drop-in open house for five hours.
===== RELATED:
- Sooke Budget 2026 open house on April 8 (April 7, 2026)
- Paving in Sooke during spring break (March 19, 2026)
- District of Sooke seeks Director of Operations (December 20, 2025)
- Public Safety minister meets with south Vancouver Island mayors about 911 service fees (February 6, 2025)
- South Vancouver Island mayors want 9-1-1 cost equity & fees shifted to cell phone bills (February 4, 2025)
- NEWS SECTIONS: SOOKE LOCAL | SOOKE REGION | AFFORDABILITY