FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Victoria, BC, July 22, 2026 — A coalition of community organizations from across the Capital Regional District today announced the launch of Livable CRD, a non-partisan voter-engagement project. The group will publish a candidate scorecard and questionnaire for the region’s municipal elections, with the goal of increasing voter turnout and civic engagement with easy to understand information and resources. The scorecard grades candidates on their positions on issues that shape daily life across the region: transit, housing, arts, climate, walking, cycling, healthcare, and good governance. If voters prefer, they can instead just look at the questionnaire rather than relying on grades.
Livable CRD does not endorse candidates. Instead, it publishes candidates’ positions in a clear, comparable format so residents can make informed choices at the ballot box.
“We keep hearing from people that when they vote in municipal elections that it’s really hard to find out where candidates actually stand on issues,” said Ray Oakley, a Livable CRD spokesperson. “We are not telling anyone how to vote. We are doing the legwork so that every resident can compare candidates side by side, in plain language, before election day.” Michael Bassili, another spokesperson for Livable CRD, added, “it’s nearly impossible to figure out who to vote for and why, even with all-candidate debates, because there are just so many of them. We intend to solve that.”
How the scorecard works
Participating organizations collaborate on a shared questionnaire, with each group contributing questions in its area of expertise. Livable CRD then sends this questionnaire to candidates, and their responses are graded with a published, reproducible methodology using a clear letter-grade system. Where a candidate declines to respond, that is documented as well. Results will be organized by municipality so voters can focus on the races on their own ballot.
A growing coalition
Livable CRD brings together advocates from across the region, including Homes for Living, Walk On Victoria, Better Island Transit, Climate Justice Victoria, Family Doctors for Saanich, Better Transit YYJ, and Victori’us Arts. The coalition continues to grow, and prospective member organizations are welcome to reach out.
What comes next
The coalition is finalizing its questionnaire and methodology now. Candidate surveys, per-municipality pages, and full candidate profiles with letter grades will be published ahead of election day. Progress updates will appear on the Livable CRD blog, and residents can subscribe to the mailing list to follow along.
About Livable CRD
Livable CRD is a non-partisan coalition of community groups preparing a candidate scorecard for municipal elections across the Capital Regional District of British Columbia. Our mission is to make voting easier by providing clear, accessible information that empowers more people to participate in local elections. The coalition informs; it does not endorse. Learn more at livablecrd.ca or read more about the coalition.
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