Mike Butler Announces Run for Mayor: Lower Taxes, Lower Water Costs, Grow Opportunity and Protect What Makes Parksville

Mike Butler Announces Run for Mayor: Lower Taxes, Lower Water Costs, Grow Local Opportunity and Protect What Makes Parksville Special

PARKSVILLE, BC, CANADA, September 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mike Butler Announces Run for Mayor: Lower Taxes, Lower Water Costs, Grow Local Opportunity and Protect What Makes Parksville Special

PARKSVILLE, BC — September 11, 2026 — Mike Butler today announced his campaign for Mayor of Parksville, with a vision focused on responsible fiscal management, lowering the cost of water for residents, supporting locally operated businesses, creating good-paying careers, protecting the environment, building a sustainable ocean economy and protecting the rights of local residents.

Butler says Parksville needs a change in direction.

“Now is the time for good fiscal management and job growth through locally operated businesses. We need to stop asking taxpayers for more and start creating more opportunity for the people who live here.”

1. Responsible Fiscal Management — A Change in Leadership

Butler says the mindset of Council simply going back to taxpayers for more money must change — and that means changing the elected officials responsible for tax increases in the past.

“If we want different results, we need different leadership,” Butler said. “Council should be looking for efficiencies, partnerships, joint ventures, and provincial and federal investment before asking taxpayers for more.”

Butler points to his involvement with the RDN Taxpayers Alliance, where a petition opposing proposed tax increases attracted more than 2,100 signatures.

“The message was clear: taxpayers are concerned about where we are heading. A planned 139 percent increase in taxes over ten years is not sustainable for our seniors, families and homeowners.”

Butler says municipal government needs to make the money it already collects work harder.

2. Lowering the Cost of Water for Residents

Butler says residents should not have to carry unnecessary costs because governments operate water services separately rather than working together.

“Water is a regional resource. It doesn’t stop at a municipal boundary, and our approach to managing it shouldn’t either.”

Butler supports greater cooperation between Parksville, neighbouring municipalities and the Regional District to reduce duplication, improve infrastructure and find more efficient ways to deliver water.

He says the region needs to move beyond a drought mindset and consider water storage, conservation, infrastructure, watershed management, reuse and modern technology as part of a long-term strategy.

“The goal should be simple: secure our water future while lowering the cost of water for residents.”

3. Local Opportunity — By Locals, for Locals

Butler wants to build an economy that creates good-paying careers while keeping more investment in the local community.

His vision includes construction and manufacturing, welding and fabrication, boatbuilding and shipbuilding, marine manufacturing, tree growing and nurseries, reforestation, forest management, wildfire prevention, firefighting, advanced agriculture, local food production, BC-made technology, mineral and precious-mineral extraction technology and safety, film and television, music, creative industries, environmental restoration and habitat management.

“Our young people should have the opportunity to stay here, build a career, buy a home and raise a family,” Butler said.

He believes traditional values of hard work, craftsmanship, self-reliance and responsible stewardship can be combined with modern technology.

“We can develop new BC-made technological solutions to BC problems and build businesses that can eventually take those solutions across Canada and around the world.”

4. Protecting Our Environment, Wetlands and Birds

Butler says economic growth must go hand in hand with protecting the natural environment that makes Parksville unique.

He supports protecting wetlands, salmon habitat and the ecosystems that sustain local wildlife, including bald eagles, herons and other bird species.

“Our natural habitat is one of our greatest assets. We have a responsibility to protect it for future generations.”

Butler believes environmental protection can also create economic opportunity through habitat restoration, responsible forest management, wildfire prevention, sustainable agriculture and environmental technologies.

“We can manage a green economy alongside protecting our natural habitat. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.”

5. Building a Sustainable Ocean Economy

Butler says Vancouver Island has an opportunity to build on its proud history of marine industries.

“Building and manufacturing our own boats and ships has been a bedrock of Vancouver Island for generations. Fishing has also provided the bounty of the ocean for our families and communities to eat.”

He sees opportunities in boatbuilding, shipbuilding, marine repair, fabrication, aquaculture, fisheries, marine technology, research and environmental restoration.

“A sustainable ocean economy can provide good-paying careers for our families while protecting the ecosystems that sustain it.”

“We should be building the boats, developing the technology and creating the skilled careers right here on Vancouver Island.”

6. Food Security and Advanced Agriculture

Butler wants to see more food grown on local farmland using advanced agricultural technology, including systems inspired by the Netherlands.

Modern greenhouses, controlled-environment agriculture, water-efficient systems and automation could increase food production while using land and water more efficiently.

“Food security and water security go together. We should be using technology to make our agricultural land more productive while protecting it for future generations.”

7. Protecting Private Property and Local Hospitality

Butler says Parksville residents should have the ability to make reasonable use of their private property, including renting their homes to vacation visitors under appropriate community rules.

“This isn’t just about tourism. For some residents, renting their home is a locally operated business that helps put food on the table.”

He says local accommodation supports restaurants, shops, cleaners, contractors and other businesses.

“Parksville is a community of hospitality. Local people should have a voice in how our community operates. We should not have large outside or foreign corporations deciding our future for us.”

8. A Stronger, More Unified Region

Butler says Parksville cannot solve major challenges by working in isolation.

Water, transportation, housing, wildfire protection, economic development and environmental stewardship cross municipal boundaries.

“We need municipalities and the Regional District working together instead of working in silos.”

He says cooperation can reduce duplication, improve infrastructure, attract investment and deliver better value for taxpayers.

A New Direction for Parksville

Butler says his campaign is ultimately about changing the way municipal government approaches both challenges and opportunities.

Mike Butler
+1 587-968-7988
Campaign to elect Mike Butler
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