Bruce McGuigan for Mayor

Ending Homelessness — From Managing It to Ending It

Victoria needs to move from managing homelessness to ending it. The goal should be clear: homelessness should be rare, brief and non-recurring, with no one left living on our streets. Victoria needs a Mayor that is more bridge-building, collaborative, able to bring the stakeholders, citizens and those with lived experience together. The chaotic piecemeal approach to ending homelessness has to be transformed into coordinated, effective and compassionate change.

Past mayors put us here, I want to be the mayor that solves the problem.

It will require a coordinated effort. Citizens, governments, health services, housing providers, Indigenous partners, non-profits and people with lived experience working together around individual transitions into permanent housing.

This is a public health crisis. We need affordable, supportive and complex-care housing alongside mental-health care, harm reduction, treatment and recovery, prevention and pathways into employment. We should also work toward no discharge into homelessness from hospitals, corrections, detox, treatment or other public systems.

We can do much better.

Supporting Local Business & Entrepreneurship

Victoria should be one of the best small cities in the world to start a business, build an idea and create good jobs. Being pro-business and pro-worker are not competing ideals.

Businesses are already carrying costs that shouldn’t be theirs alone, from traffic congestion and lost productivity to helping keep business areas clean and welcoming. City Hall should be a stronger partner through better transportation, clean and safe streets, affordable housing for employees, good infrastructure and effective municipal services.

It seems clear to me that we are about to face unprecedented economic strain. We are not ready. The economic pressure on Canada, combined with growing global uncertainty, makes it more important than ever to sustain local businesses.They provide not only jobs, but essential services, innovation and the economic activity that helps our communities grow. Let’s try to make every dollar we spend on the things that we need sustain our neighbours and community. City Hall should be at the centre of a proud, ongoing Buy Local campaign that encourages residents, businesses and public institutions to support our local economy.

A Citizens-First City Hall

City Hall belongs to the people of Victoria.

I support open decision-making, understandable budgets, transparent contracts and spending, meaningful public consultation and more opportunities for residents to participate between elections.

Engagement should happen early enough for people to genuinely influence decisions, not after the important choices have already been made. Consultation should be continuous and comprehensive. There should be no surprises from City Hall.

Every four years we have battles to control city hall, followed by disregard for the concerns of a broad swath of citizens. This causes discontent and unnecessary conflict.

Fair Governance & Public Accountability

Public office is a public trust. No Mayor should ever dismiss or scoff at the concerns of citizens over public spending.

Public money, public land and public power should create lasting public value. Major decisions should come with straightforward public accounting: What did we spend? Why? Who benefited? What did the public receive in return? Where did we forgo revenue and why?.

I believe City Hall can be ambitious about improving Victoria while remaining careful, transparent and accountable with the public purse.

Listening to people who do the work

A good manager treasures and sustains good workers. It's a vital role. The people who keep Victoria running should have a strong voice at City Hall. I am proudly pro-union and support living wages, secure employment, apprenticeships and strong public services. I am also proud of 25 years of work at local non-profit community service agencies.

We need to support sustainable employment in the city, for the city workers we depend on and for everyone who serves our community.

Housing Everyone

Victoria needs much more housing, but the goal cannot simply be more units. We need housing people can actually afford, from students to retiring long term locals and everyone else.

That means market and non-market housing, non-profit housing, supportive and complex-care housing, family-sized rentals, affordable paths to ownership and protection of existing lower-cost rental homes.

City hall cannot continue to approve the demolition of rental housing for the construction of condos that are unaffordable for citizens.

Public land should create lasting public value, and new development should consider affordability and displacement alongside supply. Housing cannot be solved by Victoria alone, and I will push for strong regional cooperation across the CRD and with other levels of government.

A mayor has to be able to challenge the provincial and federal governments on housing, not collaborate with them to kick that can down the road.

Safe Streets Are For Everyone

Everyone deserves to feel safe in Victoria: residents, workers, women, families, seniors, young people, business owners, visitors and people living unhoused.

Homelessness is not synonymous with crime, and public safety policy should focus on harmful behaviour rather than someone’s housing status or background. Compassion does not require accepting violence, harassment, predatory behaviour or serious public disorder.

I support appropriate policing and enforcement alongside prevention, better public-space design, late-night safety, civilian and health responses where appropriate, and serious action on homelessness, mental illness and addiction.

Safe streets are a public good, and they belong to everyone.

Climate Preparedness & Resilience

Anyone who has lived here long enough knows what is happening. Climate change is real. It is an environmental emergency and an infrastructure challenge. Victoria needs practical action on building efficiency, extreme heat and wildfire smoke, resilient public facilities, water management, local food security, public transit and active transportation.

Transportation is the foundation of a city. Congestion wastes wages, fuel, public dollars and people’s time while increasing pollution and emissions. We also need to start eliminating the hidden congestion tax paid by businesses, governments and individuals when people and goods sit unnecessarily in traffic. Better transit and transportation planning can move more people while freeing road space for businesses, emergency services, public services and people who need to drive.

Reducing wasted time, wasted fuel and unnecessary costs is good for household and business bottom lines, good for the public purse and good for the environment.

Community Wealth + A Strong Local Economy

A strong economy should create prosperity that stays in the community.

Victoria should support local businesses, employees, entrepreneurs, co-operatives, social enterprises, Indigenous businesses, non-profits and community ownership. Municipal procurement and investment can strengthen local supply chains, create good employment and keep more money circulating locally.

Economic development should be measured not only by how much investment comes into Victoria, but by the lasting prosperity it creates for the people who live here.

Creativity, Arts & Innovation

A vital city is a creative city.

Arts and culture strengthen neighbourhoods, create employment, attract visitors and give people opportunities to express and experience different perspectives. Victoria should be a place where artists, musicians, performers, writers, designers and cultural organizations can live, work and create.

Creativity also means entrepreneurship and innovation. Great cities give people the freedom and opportunity to experiment, create and imagine something better.