(Mike Caljouw)
Election Notebook #17: North Cowichan councillor Mike Caljouw plays down importance of petitions, Chemainus election candidates push back
Derek Masselink: ‘To suggest they are the expression of a vocal minority with a vested interest is unfair and possibly dangerous.’
Mike Caljouw topped the polls in North Cowichan during his first run at public office in the 2022 municipal election.
How did he do it? Name recognition certainly did not hurt.
Caljouw’s father — also Mike Caljouw — served on Duncan city council for 32 years. He passed away in 2012.
“It is because of the dedication of people like my dad that I have had a fulfilling life in the Cowichan Valley for the past 54 years,” Caljouw said during the 2022 campaign.
He also described himself as a “reasonable person who actively listens.”
That statement is coming under scrutiny.
A detailed $300,000 public consultation process in 2023 showed overwhelming support for conservation management options for the Municipal Forest Reserve.
But Caljouw — along with Bruce Findlay, Tek Manhas and Becky Hogg — voted in August 2025 to make resumption of logging in the forest reserve a strategic priority in 2026. The initiative failed in November 2025 after Hogg changed her mind in response to concerns from Halalt Chief James Thomas.
Read more: https://www.sixmountains.ca/article/51222b92-cc03-488a-8b9d-6ddad0409829
Now, Caljouw is coming under fire for comments minimizing the importance of citizen petitions.
At an all-candidates meeting September 19, Caljouw said his experience as councillor the last four years is that “the majority of the people who are supportive of something don’t come out.
"It’s the people who are against something who come out.
“They fill the rooms. They have a vested interest in trying to prevent something from moving forward and I understand that."
He said: “You know, petitions in particular, I don’t know, you’ve all been out there, someone’s walked up to you and said, you know, ‘do you support this thing?’ and you go, ‘what is it?’
“'It’s about saving frogs.' You go, ‘ok.'....
"That’s great. It’s a great idea. You just sign this paper.
“So, yes, petitions have weight, but I don’t buy into petitions as much as possibly others do at the table here.”
Council voted 5-2 in May 2025 to support an amendment to the Official Community Plan and rezoning of property at the corner of Henry Road and the Trans-Canada Highway from industrial to commercial.
More than 1,000 people signed a petition in opposition of the development application.
Read more: https://chng.it/cFRDGpmFMb
Caljouw, Findlay, Manhas, Hogg and Chris Istace voted in favour. Mayor Rob Douglas and councillor Christopher Justice were opposed.
The development involves two drive-thru restaurants, a gas station and other commercial uses.
Read more: https://cowichanvalleycitizen.com/2025/05/28/chemainus-drive-through-development-approved-despite-ocp-concerns/
Three Chemainus area residents are running for North Cowichan council this election: Istace and newcomers Derek Masselink and Don Allingham.
Also running is Krystal Adams, who lives near Quamichan Lake but is executive director of the Chemainus Business Improvement Association (CBIA).
Istace, a former CBIA chair, told Six Mountains that “petitions are a very valuable tool in bringing awareness, advocacy and perspective to subject matter that is important to those signatories.
(Chris Istace)
“I have signed many myself over the years and feel that they are useful and continue to be warranted at all levels of government.”
But Istace said it’s also important to “weigh them against all available information,” including specifics of the wording of petitions, who signed them, staff reports and a project’s community value.
In May 2025, he told council: “I may be a Chemainus business owner and Chemainus resident but I wasn’t elected to represent Chemainus. I’m a North Cowichan municipal councillor and I have to think of the greater good for the entire municipality.”
Masselink said that petitions "should be listened to and given due consideration, especially those that have received significant and widespread community support.
(Derek Masselink)
"To suggest they are the expression of a vocal minority with a vested interest is unfair and possibly dangerous. It’s unfair because it may diminish and overlook real and important community concerns...and because it suggests that Council doesn’t value or trust input from the public.
"And we’ve seen what can happen when the public doesn’t feel like its interests are being listened to or adequately represented."
As for the Henry Road application, Masselink says he agrees with the "analysis and advice provided by staff. Had I been on council I would have voted against it."
Adams says: “Petitions are a very important part of the democratic process, along with public engagement.
“People are unable to come to council, are unwilling to have the visibility of it, or simply don’t have the time. Petitions allow those in government the ability to hear those voices.”
She added: “The worst thing a councillor can do is insulate themselves with voices of agreement that offer no perspective or alternative approach.”
(Krystal Adams)
As for the Henry Road development, Adams said the more than 1,000 signatures should have caused “instant alarm,” given the community has just over 4,000 residents.
Beyond petitions, she said: "I have serious concerns about how residents are being heard at council and how decisions are being made."
Allingham also emphasized the large community opposition to the project.
“Why do we have petitions, why do we have public hearings? To me, it's important to listen to the people who put you on council.”
(Don Allingham)
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Six Mountains previously reported that Hogg missed the first three all-candidates meetings.
Adams missed the last two all-candidates meetings due to attending an out-of-province family gathering arranged prior to her decision to run for council. During those two meetings, Adams had representatives attend to explain her platform and to answer questions received by candidates in advance.
That's something Hogg did not do.
Adams also said she asked organizers of both meetings if she could participate by livestream, phone, or any other means, but both declined. She also offered to answer questions in real time through a representative with a phone ear piece. But the answer was still no.
"I made every effort to participate," Adams said. "I genuinely wish I could have been there. But I also believe that when you make a commitment, you honour it."
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Here are video links to five North Cowichan all-candidates meetings:
— September 19: Quamichan Lake Neighbourhood Association, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeCmNuvOIv8
— September 22: Maple Bay Community Association, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQRzOx0AChA
— October 1: Chemainus Residents Association, https://chemainusresidents.ca/news/
— October 4: COAP, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1178291022238186/posts/28571922435781675/
— October 7: Crofton Community Centre Society, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFsyubZbqpU&t=4709s
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— Oct. 12, 2026