Voting in the 2026 Comox Valley local elections? Here’s what you need to know

Courtenay City Hall — Comox Valley residents will elect new local representatives on Oct. 17, 2026. **Photo by Madeline Dunnett/The Discourse**

General local elections will take place across B.C. on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. Not sure where and how to vote? Here’s our voting guide for electing your mayors and councils in Courtenay, Comox and Cumberland; Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) directors, Comox Valley public school trustees (School District 71) and Denman and Hornby Islands Trust trustees.

Heads up: A provincial general election has also been called for Saturday, Oct. 24, one week after local voting day, with provincial advance voting Oct. 16 to 21. The two elections are separate, with different voting places and rules. This guide covers the Oct. 17 local election only.

This guide will be updated as more reporting and information is available.

Am I eligible to vote in the local election?

To vote as a resident elector, you must be:

18 or older on voting day (Oct. 17, 2026)
a Canadian citizen
a resident of B.C. for at least six months before you register to vote (for anyone registering on general voting day, that means living in B.C. since April 16, 2026 or earlier)
a resident of the municipality or electoral area where you are voting
not disqualified from voting by law

If you live elsewhere but own property in a jurisdiction, you may be able to vote there as a non-resident property elector. You must have owned the property for at least 30 days before registering (Sept. 16, 2026 or earlier for voting day). Only one owner per property can vote, with written consent from a majority of owners, and property held by a corporation or in trust doesn’t qualify.

What ID do I need?

If you’re already on the voters list, you may not need ID. If you register when you vote, bring two pieces of identification, with at least one that has your signature. Together they must prove who you are and where you live. Photo ID is not required. Accepted documents include a B.C. driver’s licence, BCID, B.C. Services Card, Status Card, property tax notice, utility bill and others. If you can’t prove your address, you can bring two pieces of identity and make a solemn declaration of residence. Non-resident property electors also need proof of ownership (e.g. a property tax notice, BC Assessment notice or title certificate) and the co-owner consent form if applicable.

The CVRD publishes the exact cut-offs: to vote on Oct. 17 you must have lived in B.C. since April 16, 2026, or, for non-resident property electors, owned your property since Sept. 16, 2026. If you vote at an advance poll, the dates are earlier (April 6 and Sept. 6 for Oct. 7, respectively, and April 13 and Sept. 13 for Oct. 14).

Where and when can I vote?

City of Courtenay:

Advance voting: Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 14, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Ave.

Mail-in ballots: Open to all eligible electors. Requests received by 4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5 will be mailed out; after that, packages must be picked up at City Hall, 830 Cliffe Ave. Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. Oct. 17.

General voting day: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Courtenay voters can vote at either location:

Queneesh Elementary School, 2345 Mission Rd.
Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Ave. (ASL interpretation available on voting day)

Town of Comox:

Advance voting:

Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 14, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Comox Community Centre, 1855 Noel Ave.
Saturday, Oct. 10 and Monday, Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Genoa Sail Building at Marina Park, 127 Port Augusta St.

Mail-in ballots: The application deadline (Sept. 25) has passed. If you already have a mail ballot, return it to Town Hall by 4 p.m. Oct. 16 or to the Comox Community Centre on Oct. 17. It must be received by 8 p.m. Oct. 17.

General voting day: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Comox Community Centre, 1855 Noel Ave. Curbside voting is available.

Note: Comox’s mayor and its school trustee were both acclaimed, so Comox voters will only be voting for councillors.

Village of Cumberland:

All voting is at the Cumberland Cultural Centre, 2674 Dunsmuir Ave., 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance voting Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 14, and general voting Saturday, Oct. 17.

Mail-in ballots: Apply by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9. Ballots must be received by the Chief Election Officer by 8 p.m. Oct. 17.

Comox Valley Regional District (Areas A, B and C):

Advance voting:

Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 14, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., CVRD Civic Room, 770 Harmston Ave., Courtenay
Thursday, Oct. 8, 9 a.m. to noon, Denman Activity Centre
Thursday, Oct. 8, 3 to 6 p.m., Hornby Island New Horizons Hall, 1765 Sollans Rd.

Mail-in ballots: Open to residents and non-resident property electors. Applications close Friday, Oct. 9. Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. Oct. 17.

General voting day: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Note: Many candidates have been acclaimed, including Cumberland and Comox mayors.

Who are the 2026 candidates?

Incumbents are marked with an asterisk (*).

Courtenay:

Courtenay mayor (one seat, three candidates):

Trish McPhail
Manno Theos
Bob Wells*

Courtenay council (six seats, 19 candidates):

Phil Adams
Vasil Beaton
Guan-Carlo (Benny) Benvenuti
Rosanna Chamberlin
Dick Clancy
John Dacombe
Erik Eriksson
David Frisch*
Evan Jolicoeur*
Jessie Lightburn
Jin Lin
Kelly Matthews
Thomas McDevitt
Dave Mellin
Wendy Morin*
Kitty Pitt
Davina Singh
Kam Singhania
Darin Tufts

Comox:

Comox Mayor:

Nicole Minions* was acclaimed.

Comox Council (six seats, 11 candidates):

Steve Blacklock*
Lisa Bourgeois
Vivian Chislett
Ken Grant*
Chris Haslett*
Jonathan Kerr*
Neil Ladell
Jenn Meilleur*
Ruby Sidhu
Maureen Swift*
Jessica Wegg

Cumberland:

Cumberland Mayor:

Vickey Brown* was acclaimed.

Cumberland Council (four seats, seven candidates):

Zanoni Agnew
Ellian Bell
Neil Borecky*
Kevin Snaden
Sean Sullivan*
Troy Therrien*
Nick Ward*

Comox Valley school trustees, SD71:

Only one of the six trustee areas has a race.

Trustee Area 1 (Courtenay, two seats):

Shannon Aldinger*
Kendall Packham
Maria Sanchez.

Acclaimed: Jennifer Fisher (Area 2, Comox), Laurel Rankin (Area 3, Cumberland), Chelsea McCannel-Keene* (Area 4, Baynes Sound/Denman/Hornby), Michelle Waite* (Area 5, Lazo North) and Nicole Bergot (Area 6, Puntledge-Black Creek).

Comox Valley Regional District directors:

Daniel Arbour* was acclaimed in Area A (Baynes Sound–Denman/Hornby Islands).

Area B (Lazo North):

Arzeena Hamir
Rich Hardy*

Area C (Puntledge–Black Creek):

Gillian Anderson
Ariel Becherer
Norm McPhail

Denman Island Local Trust Area (two seats):

Sam Borthwick
Perri Gorrara
Steve Hawkins
Noah Ross

Hornby Island Local Trust Area (two seats):

Alex Allen
George Buvyer
Ronaldo Cruz
April Lewis
Pat Mullan
Jeffrey Rabena

Referendums (Area A only):

Baynes Sound parks and trails (Royston, Union Bay and Fanny Bay voters): “Are you in favour of the Comox Valley Regional District Board adopting Bylaw No. 923 to create a new Baynes Sound Parks and Trails Service for the acquisition, development, operation, and maintenance of community parks, trails, and associated facilities within the Service Area?”

Denman and Hornby animal control (Denman and Hornby voters): “Are you in favour of the Comox Valley Regional District Board adopting Bylaw No. 915 to amend the Denman and Hornby Islands Bylaw Enforcement Service to include the provision of animal control services?”