Pint-sized discussion on councillors drinking before North Cowichan meetings
Bruce Findlay: 'I could have four beers before a council meeting and it wouldn’t affect me’
Should council members drink alcohol before council meetings?
The answer might seem obvious, but not so fast.
Certain North Cowichan councillors are known to get together before meetings, including at the Best Western CVI Restaurant and Lounge on the Trans Canada Highway.
That’s the closest watering hole to municipal hall.
“I’m 280 pounds,” said councillor and pub owner Bruce Findlay. “I could have four beers before a council meeting and it wouldn’t affect me.
“Don’t quote me on that. I don’t want people to know I’m 280 pounds.”
(Findlay contacted Six Mountains on Friday to emphasize the reference to four beers was a joke.)
Tek Manhas: “I’ve been in business all my life. We have luncheon meetings and we might have a beer or a glass of wine.”
Becky Hogg said there is no issue with having a "glass of beer" well before a council meeting, adding her ability to drive is not compromised.
Mike Caljouw says he drinks tea at such gatherings. “I don’t have a drink. Never. Not once. Never. I have tea every time. Sometimes it’s Earl Grey, Red Rose Orange Pekoe once in a while.”
He added if he had alcohol before a meeting he “might fall asleep half way through and I don’t want to do that."
This is not the first time Findlay and Manhas have made headlines for consuming alcohol.
In 2023, the two councillors sat in lawn chairs drinking beer next to Island Health’s Overdose Prevention Site on York Road to protest the legal consumption of hard drugs in public. The province overturned that policy in 2024.
(Cowichan Valley Citizen photo)
Then there’s the question of whether four council members getting together forms a quorum, given there are seven seats on council.
Findlay said “we’re not advancing council business and that's the key” during such get togethers.
Manhas said the mayor and councillors may attend a conference together. "Does that constitute a quorum if we have lunch or dinner together?”
(Findlay, right, and Manhas talk issues with local residents at Lion Rampant Scottish Pub)
In January 2026 the Office of the Ombudsperson issued a report entitled, ‘Open Meetings: Best practice guide for local governments.’
The document states: “Party caucuses or other gatherings that include a quorum of members of the local government body cannot be used to materially advance decision-making on local government matters.”
It adds that “an informal meeting of a majority of council members before a regularly scheduled meeting where they discuss or decide how they will vote on matters on the agenda, whether or not they have a party affiliation, is also a meeting.”
Ted Swabey, North Cowichan’s Chief Administrative Officer, said: “Awareness of, and advice on, this topic always are part of the core components of Council training and orientation."
Grounds for sober second thought, you might say.
Read more: https://bcombudsperson.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/OMB_Open-meetings_Guide_2026-WEB.pdf
Election day is October 17.
There are two candidates for mayor, and 12 candidates vying for six council seats.
Findlay, Manhas, Caljouw and Hogg are all seeking re-election.
This is the 16th instalment of a special column, Election Notebook.
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— Larry Pynn, October 8, 2026
