Livable CRD is a non-partisan voter-education project focused on municipal elections in the Capital Regional District of British Columbia. We are not a political party and we do not endorse candidates. We publish information so residents can make informed choices.
Livable CRD is a registered local elections advertising sponsor with Elections BC. Election advertising on this site is authorized by Livable CRD, [email protected]. Elections BC explains what that means in its Guide for Local Elections Third Party Sponsors in B.C. (PDF).
Our mission
Municipal councils decide the things people notice first: what gets built and where, how often the bus comes, whether a street is safe to walk or cycle down, what the region does about emissions, and what happens to the parks, libraries and services everyone shares. They are also the elections with the fewest voters and the smallest margins. Turnout in B.C. municipal elections runs at roughly one in three, so a council seat can turn on a few dozen ballots.
Finding out where a candidate actually stands is the hard part. Most of these races have no party platform to read, local coverage is thin, and an all-candidates meeting is one evening on one night that most people cannot make. So we ask instead. Every confirmed candidate in the region gets the same questionnaire, written by the organizations that work in each policy area, and we publish what comes back on one scorecard before the vote: answers, grades, and the candidates who did not reply. Our aim is that any resident can spend a few minutes here and go to the polls knowing what they are choosing between.
How the coalition works
Participating organizations collaborate on a shared questionnaire covering topics across nine topic areas, from transit and housing to arts, climate, walking, cycling, healthcare, governance, and general livability. Responses are collected from candidates (or documented when candidates decline to respond). Each participating group submits questions in its area of focus and grades candidates' responses to the questions it submitted, using a published methodology so the process is transparent and reproducible.
Coalition partners
14 organizations across the Capital Regional District, each already working on the area it writes and grades questions in. Taking part is not an endorsement of any candidate, by them or by us.