Make your voting plan!

  • If you are travelling, are a student away at university, or can’t otherwise be in town, you can still vote in our local election!

    Click the link below to request your mail-in ballot. Requests are accepted until 4:30pm on October 6th:

    https://oakbay.voterservices.ca/index/8019

    More details here on how to return vote-by-mail ballots.

  • Early in-person voting dates are October 7th and October 14th.

    The polls at Monterey Rec Centre will be open from 8am to 8pm.

    Learn more here.

  • General Voting Day

    • Monterey Recreation Centre, 1442 Monterey Avenue

    • Henderson Recreation Centre, 2291 Cedar Hill X Road.

  • Voters do not need to vote for all 6 councillors and Mayor.

    If you only like one candidate, you can choose to vote for only one candidate!

    Several local organizations have put together candidate scorecards. If you have issues you care about, these are good resources to help you narrow down your vote.

A VIBRANT, Liveable community

Three women are smiling and chatting outdoors near rocks, with colorful clothing and accessories, on a bright, sunny day.

Reconciliation beyond land acknowledgements:

  • Support for the District of Oak Bay’s Draft Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Framework, which includes: Government-to-Government Relationship Building, Cultural Expression, Recognition, and Revitalization, Cultural and Reconciliation Learning and Activities, Land and Environment Conservation

  • Xhamasung/Oak Bay Marina lease as a potential model for economic reconciliation

  • Partner with ReconciliACTION Oak Bay to advance efforts

  • Support the Vancouver Island Trail Association’s Auntie Programme for Songhees youth

Belonging and inclusion:

  • Welcome a range of people to live and spend time in Oak Bay, including newcomers, renters, young families, and students, and to engage underrepresented groups in municipal processes

  • Improve accessibility for people with disabilities and mobility challenges

  • Support zoning and other measures that increase childcare availability and programs for young families, such as the Carnarvon Park Redevelopment Plan

  • Expand recreation and programming for teens and young adults

A vibrant village core and neighbourhood spaces:

  • Advocate for zoning and business licensing policies that give local, independent businesses long-term tenancy stability

  • Treat “third spaces” (parks, cafes, small shops, gathering spots) as essential community infrastructure so that people from all walks of life have places to come together

  • Engage local business owners directly in planning that affects the village core

  • Support the Oak Bay Business Association, Oak Bay Tourism, Oak Bay Arts and Culture, among other economic development partners

Caring for the health of our residents and our aging population:

  • Redevelop the former Oak Bay Lodge site as a “campus of care” for seniors

  • Advocate for retention and recruitment solutions to our region's family doctor shortage

  • Explore options for municipal partnerships that ease the administrative burden on physicians

Parks, nature and culture:

  • Support parks and natural areas as informal meeting spaces for the community

  • Champion arts and culture as drivers for connection and well-being

  • Explore options for more dedicated dog parks

A resilient and sustainable Community

A scenic coastal landscape with green grass and purple wildflowers, framing a view of the ocean and distant land in the background, under a clear sky.

My approach is guided by solutions that protect our community and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prioritizing both climate mitigation and adaptation, including:

  • Build infrastructure designed to withstand and respond to projected climate impacts

  • Advance the Community Climate Action Plan to completion in 2027

  • Implement the Corporate Climate Action Plan, including the EV-Ready Fleet Plan

  • Follow through on the District of Oak Bay’s Active Transportation Strategy

  • Uphold the District of Oak Bay’s Urban Forest Management Strategy, Tree Protection Bylaw, and expand other nature-based solutions

  • Champion the Zero Carbon Step Code

  • Improve outreach about clean energy retrofits and rebates

  • EV-ready charging stations and support for electric bikes

  • Car-share access (Evo and Modo) in all Oak Bay neighbourhoods, building on the parking bylaw groundwork already in place

  • Continue to fund the Oak Bay Coolkit and other public climate-education opportunities

  • Support a Right to Cool bylaw to protect renters during extreme heat events

  • Increase public education under the Oak Bay Emergency Program and strengthen the Emergency Response Plan

A REsponsive local government that is ready to act

A portable restroom next to a utility pole with electrical wires, alongside construction equipment and piping in an outdoor area under a clear blue sky.

My approach includes:

  • Analyze the Sustainable Infrastructure Replacement Plan and more recent Engineering Capital Works Plans

  • Provide sound fiscal management that weighs borrowing, reserve-building, and capital priorities against tax implications

  • Budget for the impact of population growth and more frequent extreme weather events on infrastructure

  • Recognize the increased downloading of costs from provincial and federal governments onto municipalities, and support for allocation-based funding programs

  • Use the Development Cost Charge (DCC) Bylaw to recover infrastructure costs associated with increased growth

An active and accessible community for everyone

A woman with blonde hair smiling and posing outdoors with her electric bicycle in a park.

This includes the need to:

  • Follow through on the District of Oak Bay's Active Transportation Strategy

  • Implement the District of Oak Bay’s Pedestrian and Sidewalk Master Plan so all residents feel safe and connected

  • Coordinate cycling, pedestrian, and sidewalk infrastructure upgrades alongside underground utility replacements

  • Build All Ages and Abilities (AAA) infrastructure, spanning a range of active transportation options from neighbourhood bikeways to protected bike lanes and multi-use pathways, based on each specific route

  • Improve safety measures such as speed humps, crosswalk upgrades, road markings, and cyclist-controlled crossings, developed in consultation with Oak Bay's Fire, Police, and Ambulance services

  • Ground this work in the BC Active Transportation Design Guide to ensure routes meet provincial best-practice standards for safety and accessibility

A planning approach that builds community while protecting our natural environment

A structure with scaffolding against a blue sky.

This includes the need to:

  • Balance decision-making on housing while respectfully listening to a range of community input and correspondence 

  • Use the new Official Community Plan as an overarching guideline, while also recognizing that the OCP amendment process is an opportunity for broader input and debate

  • Increase housing supply in strategic locations, such as neighbourhood villages and along transit routes

  • Support the Cedar Hill Corner/UVIC development and the reinstatement of provincial funding

  • Ensure tree retention, natural assets, setbacks, and climate resiliency in housing developments

  • Streamline gentle density housing, such as secondary suites and ADUs

While also upholding:

Indigenous knowledge:

  • Acknowledge that Oak Bay sits on land stewarded since time immemorial by the lək̓ʷəŋən people, known today as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations

  • Recognize and incorporate Indigenous voices, knowledge systems, and stewardship practices in parks and other natural areas

  • Include relationship-building with the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations on development near cultural sites

Urban forest and tree canopy:

  • Uphold the District of Oak Bay's Urban Forest Management Strategy, targeting 40% canopy cover by 2045

  • Strengthen the Tree Protection Bylaw, alongside a public commitment to planting more trees on private property

  • Support a District of Oak Bay Parks Master Plan 

Biodiversity and natural areas:

  • Enhance biodiversity corridors across Oak Bay

  • Recognize nature-based solutions (trees, green space) as core infrastructure

Community stewardship and partnerships:

A crowd of people gathered outdoors, holding campaign signs supporting Karin Sweeney for Oak Bay Council, with flowers and snacks visible in the background.

Volunteer with US!

This is a volunteer-run campaign. Knock doors with us, host a short meet and greet with Karin so your friends and neighbours can get to know her, or share your idea for how to spread the word to Oak Bay voters!