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

The view of the Cowichan Valley from Swuq’us/Mount Prevost. — A view of the Cowichan Valley from Swuq’us (Mount Prevost). **Photo by Jacqueline Ronson/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 North Cowichan, Duncan, Ladysmith and Lake Cowichan; Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) directors and Cowichan Valley School District trustees (School District 79).

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. 16–21. The two elections are separate, with different voting places and rules. This guide covers the Oct. 17 local election only.

Note: Advance voting days and mail-ballot deadlines are different in each community, so check the section for where you live.

This guide will be updated as new stories and information comes out.

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.

Those living on First Nations Reserve lands in the region must vote in the electoral area that overlaps the boundary of the reserve where they live. Most reserve lands are within one single electoral area, but some are divided between two.

Maps of First Nations Reserve lands that show which electoral area they fall within, as well as a list, are available on the Cowichan Valley Regional District website.

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.

New in Duncan this year: the City of Duncan is not using the provincial voters list. Every Duncan voter must register when they vote and bring two pieces of ID.

Where and when can I vote?

Municipality of North Cowichan

Advance voting: Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday, Oct. 13, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Municipal Hall, 7030 Trans-Canada Hwy.

Mail-in ballots: Open to all electors. Applications are accepted until 2 p.m. Oct. 17, but the municipality recommends picking up your package rather than waiting for the mail. Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. Oct. 17. Postmarks don’t count. Drop yours at Municipal Hall (until 4 p.m. Oct. 16), in the 24/7 drop box at Municipal Hall, or at the Municipal Hall voting place on Oct. 17.

General voting day: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the following locations:

Chemainus Secondary, 9947 Daniel St., Chemainus
Crofton Firehall, 1681 Robert St., Crofton
École Mt. Prevost Elementary, 6177 Somenos Rd., North Cowichan
Maple Bay Elementary, 1500 Donnay Dr., North Cowichan
Municipal Hall, 7030 Trans-Canada Hwy., North Cowichan
Quw’utsun Secondary, 2003 University Way, North Cowichan

City of Duncan

All voting is at the Duncan Fire Hall, 468 Duncan St., 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance voting on Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday, Oct. 13, and general voting Saturday, Oct. 17.

Mail-in ballots: Apply by 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15. Packages won’t be sent by Canada Post after Oct. 8. Return your ballot to City Hall by 4 p.m. on Oct. 16, or to the Fire Hall on any voting day before 8 p.m. Oct. 17.

Town of Ladysmith

Advance voting: Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 14, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the City Hall Council Chambers, 410 Esplanade (side door facing Roberts Street).

Mail-in ballots: Open to all electors. Apply by noon on Friday, Oct. 16. Apply by Oct. 9 if you want it mailed to you. Ballots must be received by 8 p.m. Oct. 17 at City Hall (until 4 p.m. Oct. 16) or at Frank Jameson Community Centre.

General voting day: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Frank Jameson Community Centre, 810 6th Ave.

Note: Ladysmith is in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district (SD68), so Ladysmith voters will elect SD68 trustees, not SD79.

Town of Lake Cowichan

All voting is at the Municipal Office, 39 South Shore Rd., 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance voting on Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Wednesday, Oct. 14, and general voting Saturday, Oct. 17.

There is no mail-in voting in Lake Cowichan, under the town’s election bylaw.

Cowichan Valley Regional District (Areas A to I)

Advance voting: Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday, Oct. 13, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will also be a special voting opportunity on Monday, Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Penelakut Tribe Administration Office, 11330 Clam Bay Rd. N., Penelakut Island.

Mail-in ballots: The deadline closed at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2.

General voting day: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Curbside voting is available at every location.

A list of voting locations for advance and general voting can be found on the CVRD website.

Who are the 2026 candidates?

Incumbents are marked with an asterisk (*).

North Cowichan

Mayor:

Rob Douglas*
Chris Wilkinson

Council (six seats, 12 candidates):

Krystal Adams
Don Allingham
Joyce Behnsen
Mike Caljouw*
Brian Chambers
Bruce Findlay*
Becky Hogg*
Chris Istace*
Christopher Justice*
Tek Manhas*
Derek Masselink
Valerie Russell

Duncan

Mayor:

Mike McKinlay was acclaimed

Council (six seats, 10 candidates):

Mark Anderson
Dana Arthurs
Garry Bruce*
Jenni Capps*
Tom Duncan*
Jessica Fetchko
Bradley Humenick
Adrian Mulholland
Carol Newington*
Bernice Timmer

Ladysmith

Mayor:

Deena Beeston*
Ray Gourlay

Council (six seats, nine candidates):

Stephen Halliday
Lynn Hansen
Tee Hanssen
Renée Hutchinson
April Marrington
Bethea Penny
John Scott
Eva Vincent
Jeff Virtanen*

Lake Cowichan

Mayor:

Ross Forrest
Tim McGonigle*

Council (four seats, seven candidates):

Aaron Frisby*
William D. (Bill) Garrett
William (Bill) Hieta
John Koury
Dale N. Plante
Kristine M. Sandhu*
Lorna Vomacka*

Cowichan Valley school trustees, SD79 (seven seats, 17 candidates, elected at large):

David Bellis
Ellisha Blackburn
Laurie Bruce
Faizal Charania
Elizabeth Croft*
Randy Doman*
Erin Egeland
Jessica Hartley
Gayle Hurmuses
Steve Jones
Cindy Lise*
Debrah Modeste
Cathy Schmidt*
Eduardo Sousa*
Carmen Sundstrom
Joe Thorne*
Laura Zeman

Nanaimo-Ladysmith school trustees, SD68 (Ladysmith and Area H voters; nine seats, 11 candidates):

Tania Brzovic*
Adrianne Cafariello
Kailey Gillam
Tim Harris*
Leanne Lee*
Zeni Maartman
Fred MacDonald
Chantelle Morvay*
Leana Pellegrin*
Mark Robinson*
Tom Rokeby*

Cowichan Valley Regional District directors:

Two CVRD directors were acclaimed: Ian Morrison* (Area F) and Stephanie Harper (Area I).

Area A (Mill Bay/Malahat):

Jerry Anderson
Shane Ryan

Area B (Shawnigan Lake):

Kim Barnard
Amber Champ
Kyle Cheveldayoff
Alan Sutherland

Area C (Cobble Hill):

Jeff Metcalfe
Mike Wilson*

Area D (Cowichan Bay):

Hilary Abbott*
Chris Shaw
Andrew Snih

Area E (Cowichan Station/Sahtlam/Glenora):

Bob Day
Raymon Farmere
Clayton Frost

Area G (Saltair/Gulf Islands):

Sean Jonas
Jesse McClinton*

Area H (North Oyster/Diamond):

Jessica Barnett
Ben Maartman*

Thetis Island Local Trust Area (Islands Trust, two seats):

Ken Hunter
Terry Martin
David Reay
Jim Senetza

Referendum (Areas A, C and part of B):

Voters in South Cowichan will be asked whether the CVRD should adopt Bylaw No. 4713 to create a “South Cowichan Issues Assessment Studies Service,” funded by an annual requisition of up to $200,000 or $0.0239883 per $1,000 of taxable assessed value, whichever is greater. The CVRD estimates the cost at about $23 a year for an average single-family home.