Shane
Ryan

Rein In Spending

Property taxes have increased 40% in the last four years. I will fight out-of-control spending, demand accountability, and restore fiscal responsibility to the CVRD.

Budgetary Limits
As Alternate Director during COVID, I sat through the budget meetings and saw staff run circles around the directors. Directors need to set firm spending caps on new budgets.

Reduce Administration Overheads
The CVRD spends literally 10 times as much (20% vs 2%) as our neighbours the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN - not to be confused with the city of Nanaimo) on administration (management, consulting, etc.). The RDN has spent many years focused on reining in administrative overheads. If they can do it so can we.

Wildfire & Watershed Resilience

Living on the Malahat Mountain, I understand first-hand the importance of proactive wildfire preparedness and protecting our watershed for long-term community safety. Protecting our forests and aquifers is critical to the future of Mill Bay/Malahat. We must invest in wildfire prevention, emergency preparedness, and responsible land management while safeguarding our drinking water sources. Smart planning today will help protect our communities, environment, and water security for future generations.

Transportation

Improved transportation connections are essential for a growing community. While the CVRD doesn't directly administer it's roads or buses. I will fiercely advocate for better service and if needed go to the media when the Ministry of Transportation or BC Transit fail in their duties.

Bus Stops
I will advocate for bus stops for underserved communities such as the Spectacle Lake Mobile Home Park.

Pot Holes
We all know of potholes and road deficiencies that have gone unaddressed for far too long. I will advocate for timely repairs and hold the Ministry of Transportation accountable for maintaining safe roads in our community. I will work with community partners to find solutions and keep pressure on the Province to address long-standing infrastructure issues.

Snow Plowing
Getting to work, school, and medical appointments is not optional. I will push the Ministry of Transportation to better prepare for the winter weather events that occur every year.

Transparency & Accountability

Evening Meetings
I will push to move CVRD meetings back to the evenings, making them easier for residents to attend and participate in. CVRD meetings were held in the evenings until 2012, and many local governments, including the City of Victoria, continue to meet outside regular working hours.

A practical solution is to adjust the schedules of staff who must attend, avoiding overtime costs. Evening meetings would also make serving as a Director more accessible to working people without increasing Director compensation.

Everything On Youtube
Many CVRD meetings are not currently available on YouTube. I will push for all CVRD meetings, including Area Planning Committees, public input sessions, and workshops, to be recorded and published by default.

Making meetings publicly accessible is simple and inexpensive. Decisions that affect residents should be open, searchable, and easy to review. The public should not have to rely on rumours or second hand information to understand decisions that impact their community.

Small Business & Jobs

As an experienced entrepreneur, I will cut red tape to create opportunities for small businesses to ensure that our kids and young families have good local jobs here in Mill Bay/Malahat.

Streamlined Temporary Use Permits (TUP)
I will continue to push for a simpler, faster Temporary Use Permit process. Current CVRD procedures can take months or even years and cost small businesses thousands of dollars in fees. Temporary Use Permits help businesses such as short term rentals, food trucks, and daycares operate while rezoning is underway. Small businesses need a streamlined, affordable process that supports local entrepreneurship, not unnecessary red tape.

Responsible,Transparent Development

New development should benefit the existing community. That’s why I support a more transparent planning process.

I want to see up-front, transparent negotiations with developers and new businesses seeking rezoning, followed by meaningful community engagement within a few months—not several years into the process.

I believe the process should begin by working with the applicant to identify appropriate community amenity contributions that address the needs of the community. These could include upgraded water infrastructure, wildfire resilience, parks and trails, recreation facilities, or other improvements that provide a lasting benefit to local residents.

Once the initial proposal and amenity commitments are understood, the community should be brought into the process early. A public information session would give residents an opportunity to see what is being proposed, understand the potential costs and benefits, ask questions, and raise concerns while there is still time to make meaningful changes.

Development should be transparent, community-focused and collaborative—not a process where residents find out what is happening years after the decisions have already been made.