Every election, candidates promise to lower taxes.
I’m not going to make that promise.
The truth is, no councillor can honestly guarantee lower taxes. The cost of maintaining roads, water systems, police, fire protection and parks continues to rise every year. Pretending otherwise doesn’t help anyone.
What I can promise is to focus on the real reason taxes continue to climb, and that’s because Nanaimo isn’t growing its tax base nearly fast enough.
As a commercial real estate advisor, I’ve spent years working with businesses and investors who want to build here. I’ve seen projects delayed, cancelled, or moved elsewhere because the process became too uncertain, too expensive, or simply took too long. That’s not just frustrating for the people investing millions of dollars—it’s frustrating for every taxpayer who ends up carrying a larger share of the bill.
Think about it this way. If the cost of running our city keeps increasing, but we aren’t adding enough new homes, businesses, and investment to share those costs, the math is simple. Existing taxpayers end up paying more.
That’s why I believe the conversation shouldn’t begin with “How do we cut another few thousand dollars?” Of course we should spend responsibly. Every dollar matters, and I’ll always support common-sense budgeting. But trimming a few line items around the edges won’t solve the long-term problem if we aren’t growing Nanaimo’s economy at the same time.
The better question is this: Why aren’t we creating more taxpayers?
Nanaimo has every advantage. We’re the geographic centre of Vancouver Island. We have a deep-water port, an airport, rail, a growing university, and one of the best places in Canada to live. Businesses should be lining up to invest here. Developers should be submitting applications. Good projects should be moving through City Hall with confidence and certainty.
Instead, too often the opposite happens.
When investment goes elsewhere, we don’t just lose construction jobs. We lose future businesses, future homeowners, future taxpayers, and the opportunity to strengthen our local economy. That leaves everyone who’s already here paying a larger share of the costs.
That’s why one of my priorities is making Nanaimo more attractive to investment—not for the sake of developers, but for the sake of every resident who wants a more affordable city and a stronger local economy.
I’m not going to promise you lower taxes.
I am going to work to reduce the pressure that keeps driving them higher.
To me, that starts with welcoming responsible investment, approving good projects in a timely manner, creating better-paying jobs, and growing our tax base so the cost of running Nanaimo is shared by more people—not continually downloaded onto the same homeowners and businesses.
That’s not an empty campaign promise.
It’s simple economics.
One more thing: If you’re planning to vote in this year’s local election, make sure you’re registered with Elections BC by August 18, 2026. Registering in advance helps ensure you’re on the voters list and makes voting quicker and easier.
Register here: Elections BC Online Voter Registration
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Patrick Gunville
Candidate for Nanaimo City Council
Less Politics. More Results.
P.S. This is the second in a series of campaign emails. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing practical ideas on housing, infrastructure, public safety, responsible government, and growing Nanaimo’s economy. I hope you’ll follow along.
If this message resonates with you, I’d be grateful if you shared it with a friend, neighbour, or family member who cares about Nanaimo’s future.
Questions? Let’s talk about Nanaimo. Get in touch ➝
