(Chris Wilkinson Facebook page)
'Holistic business coach' announces North Cowichan mayoral bid, but where he stands is a mystery
Chris Wilkinson calls for transparency, declines interview request
We’re still almost six months from the next municipal election, but already a North Cowichan mayoral candidate has — unofficially, at least — tossed his hat in the ring.
Problem is, what Chris Wilkinson stands for and where he sits on important municipal issues is anyone’s guess.
Despite posting on social media the importance of strong leadership and transparency, Wilkinson declined to be interviewed.
“Perhaps once I've filed my papers with North Cowichan we could circle back for an interview then,” he told sixmountains.ca.
Wilkinson, who describes himself as a “holistic business coach,” announced his plan to run for mayor April 16.
In an on-line post, he wrote: “At the Municipal level, it should always be about Leadership — Not Politics. Listening, not telling. Uniting, not dividing. Strong leadership is transparent. It collaborates. It engages.”
Wilkinson has received considerable positive feedback on-line since his announcement, but has also not responded directly to questions about where he stands on local issues.
Several individuals on-line asked him to state his priorities, goals and position statements. “We need politicians who tell us their plans and show us the math instead of giving us pretty words with no accountability,” said one person.
Wilkinson said there would be more to come. “I also don't need to feel like I have all the answers or solutions on my own - that would be ego.”
He did not respond to the following posts from separate individuals:
— "I'm skeptical. Where's the beef? What do you stand for Coach? No fancy bullshit."
— "What's your platform? Come clean. You're not just a pretty face."
Asked for his position on RV and tiny home living, he said: “I’ll be honest - this is a topic I need to get up to speed on quickly.”
He also declined to describe his political leanings, including which party he supports at the provincial and federal level. “At the municipal level it’s about engaging and listening to what our people want,” he said. “Partisan politics ruins it.”
Asked how he’d differ from Mayor Rob Douglas, Wilkinson said: “No disrespect to him…we def differ on ideology though.”
Wilkinson added: “Anyone who knows me knows I don’t come from the world of politics. And I truly believe that is a strong benefit to our community.”
He graduated in 1992 from Caledonia Secondary School in Terrace, where he was active in sports.
(Caledonia Secondary School yearbook, 1992)
He has lived in the Cowichan Valley for more than 25 years, has two sons, and owns a business with his ex-wife (Nurse Next Door home care services). He still plays hockey, and rides a motorcycle.
Wilkinson also has a coaching business, and the company website provides more information about himself and his views.
“Get unstuck, get shit done, and finally feel the success & freedom you’ve been dreaming of,” he writes.
Wilkinson allows that his mother had “mental health issues.”
“As a kid, our household was filled with anxiety and angst. Mom was very bitter, unconsciously raising my brother and I to be skeptical and judgemental.”
He adds: “Mom has since passed and I’ve come to realize that self-discovery is a life-long journey that ebbs and flows. Our past stories don’t make up who we area, they are there to help us reflect on how far we’ve come.”
Under the headline, ‘Fun Facts About Me,’ Wilkinson writes: “Sometimes (ok, often) I’ll listen to good old fashioned rock music super loud in my truck so that I can feel it in my chest.”
Wilkinson is also a long-standing columnist with the Cowichan Valley Citizen. His columns, Coaching with Chris, often include buzz words, questions and formulas.
(Chris Wilkinson column in the Cowichan Valley Citizen.)
On March 8, 2026, he wrote:
“In the coaching and change-management world, there’s a widely used formula for change. C = D x V x FS > R
“Change happens when your dissatisfaction (D) with a certain situation, multiplied by your vision of what you want (V), multiplied by your first steps (FS) overcome the resistance (R).
“If any of the three variables D, V, or FS are close to zero, or are just unclear, you will not experience lasting positive change.”
Wilkinson has referenced Tony Robbins, the high-profile American coach and motivational speaker.
The next municipal election is October 17.
Nominations close September 11, and the campaign period begins September 19.
Subscribe free to sixmountains.ca. More than 121,000 unique visitors. Please consider a donation.
Read about Larry Pynn's nomination for a Canadian Association of Journalists award for his investigative series on an unauthorized landfill on Cowichan Tribes reserve land: https://www.sixmountains.ca/article/6b58c0bc-455b-4090-b4e8-c4868545eefe
— April 23, 2026
