(North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas)
ELECTION NOTEBOOK #2: North Cowichan mayor’s attempt to increase transparency re: developer donations and lobbying fails in 4-3 vote
Initiative blocked by four councillors who received the most developer donations
North Cowichan Mayor Rob Douglas’ effort to increase council transparency related to developer donations and lobbying was sidetracked at Wednesday's regular council meeting, the last before the October 17 municipal election.
Seizing on a municipal legal opinion, the four councillors who have received the most developer donations — Bruce Findlay, Tek Manhas, Mike Caljouw and Becky Hogg — voted to defer the mayor's motion until after the October election.
Douglas had proposed a Sensitive Donations and Meetings Policy that would establish “clear guidelines” related to:
— disclosure of donations from individuals or entities with land-use interests;
— recusal from decisions where those donors could benefit;
— reporting of meetings with developers, lobbyists, or land-use consultants.
“It matters because public trust is fundamental to local government,” Douglas said.
“When council makes decisions about rezonings, development applications, variances, or other land-use matters, the financial stakes can be enormous. These decisions can potentially affect property values and financial interests by millions of dollars.”
Problem is, a written legal opinion obtained by North Cowichan took issue with some aspects of the motion.
Mike Quattrocchi of the Vancouver law office of Young Anderson, said, in part: “The courts have repeatedly held that a campaign contribution to a council member is not, on its own, sufficient to give rise to a conflict of interest in relation to matters affecting the donor.”
Quattrocchi also noted that the “policy singles out developers and does not cover other types of campaign contributors who might be affected by council decisions from time to time, such as individuals or organizations who do not support land development and unions.”
The opinion added that the Community Charter “does not expressly authorize a council to impose sanctions against a council member who violates a code of conduct, or otherwise in relation to council conduct concern.
“However, the mayor and council do have powers that they may be able to exercise in a ‘punitive’ manner, such as the powers to rescind appointments to committees and other bodies.”
Douglas said in response that language in the proposed policy could be changed from “must” to “should” and insisted that council could voluntarily agree to set a higher standard of transparency and conduct.
He said that “technical questions about definitions and enforcement should not cause us to abandon the underlying principals. I believe a clear policy can protect council members as well as the public.”
But councillors Findlay, Manhas, Caljouw and Hogg decided otherwise, voting to defer the motion until after the election.
(Clockwise from top left: Bruce Findlay, Tek Manhas, Mike Caljouw, Becky Hogg)
Douglas and councillors Christopher Justice and Chris Istace voted against.
Hogg, elected in a byelection in April 2025, said she might not be aware of who a particular donor is, adding that a “$500 donation is not going to make me want to ruin or do something bad to the community that I grew up in.”
Caljouw said: “I’m just wondering how this can move forward after the opinion from our lawyer. What I’m saying is the public needs to see that opinion…before this decision is made.”
There are no council meetings in October due to the election.
Council’s inaugural meeting is November 4, and next regular meeting is November 18.
(Douglas first raised the issue of donations one year ago. At that time, council referred it for a legal opinion and further staff review.)
The full motion: https://pub-northcowichan.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=24703 )
The legal opinion: https://pub-northcowichan.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=24724
The council debate: https://pub-northcowichan.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=88b30cef-9e4f-4200-bc1c-d737755084d4&Agenda=Merged&lang=English&Item=55&Tab=attachments
For the 2026 municipal election, individuals, but not organizations, can donate a total of $1,429.70 to a candidate or elector organization per campaign.
The names of each donor and the amount of the contribution ($100 or more) to a specific candidate or elector organization will be published in the Financial Reports and Political Contributions System. (https://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/Local.aspx )
Candidates, elector organizations and third-party sponsors must file a required disclosure statement with Elections BC within 90 days following general voting day.
Further details: https://elections.bc.ca/local-elections/making-a-campaign-contribution/
Meanwhile, Douglas has officially declared he is seeking re-election: https://www.robdouglas.ca/.
He was first elected to council in 2014 and again in 2018, topping the polls each time. He won the mayoralty handily, with 40.99 per cent of the vote, in 2022.
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JOYCE BEHNSEN SAYS SHE'S NOT DONE YET.
The former North Cowichan councillor with a colourful political career says she’s taking another stab at council.
“I was impressed last week that I do need to run with my experience and knowledge of local issues,” she told sixmountains.ca in an email.
Here’s what the last 15 years of political involvement have looked like for Behnsen.
She ran unsuccessfully for the mayor’s job in 2011, taking less than 14 per cent of the vote.
In 2014 she was elected to council, taking the last of six councillor seats.
In 2017, Behnsen became the subject of a standards-of-conduct complaint by a senior municipal employee.
The Cowichan Valley Citizen reported at the time that North Cowichan hired an investigator and carried out an investigation of the allegations, concluding that Behnsen’s conduct amounted to bullying and harassment.
“Corrective measures have been imposed,” then-mayor Jon Lefebure said in a statement.
In 2018 Behnsen ran again unsuccessfully for the mayoralty, finishing last with 23 per cent of the vote.
In 2022 she gave another try for a seat as councillor but finished well back.
In January 2026 she showed up to protest the start of construction of a non-profit co-op housing project in North Cowichan.
Councillor Tek Manhas has listed Behnsen as one of his nominators in filed election documents.
(Joyce Behnsen, CHEK News)
Behnsen continues to make appearances at council meetings during “public input” or “question period” portions of the agenda.
At Wednesday’s council meeting, Behnsen said: “I wish to respectfully recommend that councillors and staff…improve on their public speaking skills by speaking clearly and directly into the microphones that are provided, specifically to be heard by everyone.”
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ISTACE, A CHEMAINUS RESIDENT, is bringing un unusual twist to his re-election campaign.
“I’m going to do something completely different that most people don’t do…I’m not going to take any money at all and I’m also not going to spend any money. I’m just going to re-use these old signs….”
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1044312871569757
Istace’s motion Wednesday that council “directs staff to prepare and bring forward a Zoning Bylaw amendment to define and prohibit Data Centres as a land use throughout North Cowichan” was approved unanimously.
Istace cited the potential to place significant demands on municipal infrastructure, including water supply and electrical services.
Watch the discussion: https://pub-northcowichan.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=88b30cef-9e4f-4200-bc1c-d737755084d4&Agenda=Merged&lang=English&Item=34&Tab=attachments
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HERE'S A LINK TO North Cowichan’s “meet the candidates” website, a list of people who have filed their nomination papers: https://www.northcowichan.ca/election/meet-candidates .
The list is updated regularly.
Don Allingham, a farmer along the Chemainus River and a member of North Cowichan's agricultural advisory committee, is seeking election to council. He has long spoken in favour of gravel removal on the lower river to reduce flooding.
(Read more on this issue: https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2025/10/03/Down-a-Forgotten-River/ )
One of Allingham's nominators is former councillor Kate Marsh.
Link to candidates in the Cowichan Valley Regional District: https://cvrd.ca/government-administration/legislative-services/elections-referenda/meet-the-candidates/ .
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ALL-CANDIDATE MEETINGS, North Cowichan municipal election:
— September 19, 10:30 am-12:30 pm, Maple Bay Fire Hall, 1230 Maple Bay Road, Quamichan Lake Neighbourhood Association, https://www.qlna.org/
— September 22, 7-9 pm, Maple Bay Fire Hall, Maple Bay Community Association, https://www.facebook.com/MapleBayBC/
— September 24, 6:30-8:30 pm, Duncan Community Lodge, 2244 Moose Road, sponsored by Clements Centre, Providence Farm, Cowichan Valley Basket Society and Volunteer Cowichan, with a focus on social services.
— October 1, 7-9 pm, Chemainus Secondary School, multi-purpose room, 9947 Daniel Street, Chemainus Residents Association, https://chemainusresidents.ca/
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READ ELECTION NOTEBOOK #1: https://www.sixmountains.ca/article/a1c608c1-5336-4266-b20a-6623aa84997b
Nominations close September 11, and the campaign period begins September 19.
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(Larry Pynn is former environment reporter for The Vancouver Sun, and the recipient of more than 30 journalism awards, including a Canadian Association of Journalists gold award this year for an investigative series on an unauthorized landfill on Cowichan Tribes reserve land. Six Mountains is 100-per-cent independent. Larry draws no salary and receives no federal journalism subsidies, relying instead on donations from supporters of strong independent journalism to help cover costs.)
— Sept. 6, 2026