Mayor Duncan Cavens
Monday, November 2, 2026, Council Chambers, Esquimalt Municipal Hall
Firstly, I want to acknowledge that we are gathered here tonight on the traditional territories of the Songhees and Xʷsepsəm Nations, whose presence on and stewardship of these lands goes back thousands of years. I look forward to working with both Nations over the next four years as colleagues and neighbours, building on the relationships developed by my predecessor.
At this point, I also want to thank Mayor Barb Desjardins for her many years of public service to Esquimalt. Barb, you have guarded the Township through tremendous change with grace and tenacity, and you leave incredibly large shoes to fill.
I also want to thank outgoing Councillors Armour and Helliwell. I've enjoyed working with both of you, learned a lot from you, and know you'll continue contributing to Esquimalt. Thank you.
I'm honoured to take on the responsibility of Mayor after four years at this table. I'm really looking forward to working with our new Council. Esquimalt residents have elected a great group with a wide range of experience, connections to the community, fresh ideas and genuine enthusiasm for Esquimalt. While we won't, and shouldn't, always agree, I know this Council will work collaboratively and productively on things that matter to all of us as Esquimalt residents. Esquimalt is a special place. It's a welcoming community where people know their neighbours, volunteer, and turn out for events like the Celebration of Lights, Music in the Park, the Farmers Market and Buccaneer Days. We don't like to make a big deal of how we show up for our community. We just get it done.
I've personally seen that again and again through my volunteering at Rainbow Kitchen, where so many Esquimalt residents give generously in all kinds of ways without expecting recognition. It’s also something I see among Township staff; they are also proud of their work, their community, and the important role they play, often in the background.
Esquimalt has a lot to be proud of, but like everywhere, there are things we are going to need to work on this term. During the election, I heard consistent concerns from residents about rising property taxes, traffic congestion, housing affordability and the pace of change. Many residents joked that they didn't know why I'd want this job, and some on the doorstep actively tried to convince me that I didn't. Mostly, they were saying that they know there were no easy answers. Everyone loves things like our Rec Centre, special places like Highrock, and our parks and public works staff that go out their way to keep Esquimalt looking great, but given how the rest of the world feels right now, many were wondering how we can keep Esquimalt affordable for everyone going forward.
For me, a critical part of addressing those concerns is establishing a clearer vision for Esquimalt. People want us to be able to explain where Esquimalt is going over the next 10 or 20 years. Residents want to know what changes they can expect on their street and in their neighbourhood, including what those changes will mean for the trees, parks and facilities they value.
The upcoming Official Community Plan review is an opportunity to work with residents to set that direction. I’m hoping we are going to get a plan written in plain language, with clearer expectations about what can be built where, so residents and developers alike know what to expect.
We need high-quality new development that creates a lively environment where local businesses can thrive; more places like the Town Square that attract visitors from across the region. I want the new plan to identify where we’ll need new parks and how we’ll acquire the land for them. It will also need to spell out how we'll protect mature trees and expand our tree canopy across the Township.
At the same time, I also heard that we need a clearer long-term financial plan. I don't think the property taxes we've seen recently are sustainable, but we also have infrastructure that needs maintenance and replacement, and we can't keep putting those costs off.
Township staff have done a lot of work this past term to help us understand the condition of our buildings, roads and underground infrastructure. But now the real hard work begins for Council; we need to use that information to set financial priorities, make choices for the future, and clearly explain our decisions to residents.
I also want us to put more effort into attracting new affordable housing. Esquimalt has been very successful in building new market housing, and that additional housing is important. But new market housing isn’t enough for residents who are struggling right now to find homes they can afford. We need to do more to encourage non-profit housing and actively pursue funding from the provincial and federal governments because, unfortunately, Esquimalt can't do it on its own. We also need to look again at how we can preserve the affordable housing that already exists in our community.
Lastly, I’ve heard that we need to keep improving transportation, whether people get around on foot, by bike, on transit, or by car. That means looking at local bottlenecks and working with regional partners on issues that don't stop at our municipal boundaries, including projects like the Reconciliation Corridor Initiative along the E&N. We need to keep investing in active transportation and traffic calming, while paying attention to how these projects are working in practice, and being willing to make adjustments where needed.
As Mayor, I want to encourage debate, listen to different perspectives and make decisions based on evidence.
This is an ambitious program. We'll need to work together as a Council to agree on our priorities, and recognize that we can't quite do everything all at once. Going forward I want to do a better job of explaining what we're trying to accomplish, what it will cost, and how we're progressing.
I genuinely believe that Esquimalt is the best municipality in the region, and there’s a lot we can do as a Council to make it even better. I'm grateful for the trust residents have placed in me and the rest of council to do just that.
Thank you very much for this amazing opportunity, and I look forward to getting down to work.