About the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District
(UPDATED on April 18th.) Here's the information we have on each candidate and how to engage with them. Candidates may choose different ways to communicate within our community, so these points of contact will not necessarily be relevant to all of them. (We have reached out to all candidates, and will post information about each candidate if and when it is provided to us or made public.)
...continue reading "How to find out more about the candidates"
Trustee candidate John Rankin invites you to his meet and greet event, which will include a brief presentation.
If possible, John would like to have an idea of how many people will attend. (If more than 20 want to come, John will add another session for the following week.) If you plan to attend and are able to let John know you will be coming, he would appreciate that. John's email address is JohnRankinForTrustee@gmail.com.
Tell us about your skills and experience.
I bring a unique skillset with progressive experience in operational and financial oversight. I am a geologist by training and began my career managing mineral exploration programs in Canada’s North. After broadening my experience and obtaining an MBA, I have spent the past decade in senior financial leadership roles, including Vice President Finance, Chief Financial Officer, Director, and Audit Committee Chair for both private and publicly listed companies. I am also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) in British Columbia. From 2020–2022, I served with the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department. My professional roles have required strong leadership and collaboration, including managing and working with diverse groups. I am a team player who thrives in complex operational environments and excels at bringing people together, even in challenging or contentious situations.
Why should I vote for you?
While progress has been made in recent years to increase transparency and accountability to Gabriola taxpayers, I believe there is still more work to be done. I will bring strong financial oversight and leadership grounded in sound governance which will support effective operations, streamline board meetings, and ultimately help Gabriolans feel confident that the GFPID is delivering high-quality fire protection services at a reasonable cost. In the current economic climate, it is more important than ever that the GFPID maintains strong financial oversight to ensure that a clear business case supports the use of taxpayer dollars. I also want to acknowledge the dedication of the volunteer firefighters who serve Gabriola. I intend to support them to ensure they have the resources they need to protect our community, as this should always remain central to the Board’s work.
Learn more
Website: lizwallinger.ca
Email: use the contact form on the website
Meet and greets: —
For all candidates, we recommend that those interested in their campaign
Tell us about your skills and experience.
My wife and I have been residents and home owners on Gabriola since 2000.
I have a Bachelor’s of Science degree from the University of Victoria, with a Major in Biology. After university, I worked for Fisheries & Oceans Canada, doing a variety of stock assessment related jobs. After injuring my back, I left DFO, and became a partner in Slow Rise Bakery.
I helped grow and run Slow Rise for 10 years, and decided it was time for a change. I then started working at the Gabriola Branch of Coastal Community Credit Union. I’ve been with Coastal for 10 years, and I recently became Assistant Manager at the Gabriola Branch.
Shortly after my eldest daughter was born in 2003, I joined the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department. I was a member of the GVFD for 16 years. In that time, I served in a number of roles, including: frontline firefighter, first responder, Lieutenant, Captain of the South Hall, first responder instructor, fire service instructor, Fire Inspector, and FireSmart Community Representative.
My time with the credit union has provided me with experience in HR management, professional development, performance reviews, committees, meetings, and collaboration. I strongly believe that accountability, transparency, integrity, and honesty are traits that the GFPID should strive to model, and I’m willing to put in the work to help do that. The GVFD and it’s members are very important to Gabriola, and they deserve the best support possible.
I’m looking forward to being able to help support the GVFD and Gabriola once again, as a Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District Trustee.
Why should I vote for you?
If you are looking for leadership that moves beyond the status quo, then cast a vote for me. I will do my best to help the Board implement good governance principles, model them, and improve the culture within the GFPID and the GVFD. The Board should act with integrity and accountability. Gabriolans should be able to trust the decisions of the Board.
The GFPID has slowly started to move towards policies, processes, and procedures that are standard in the modern world of government and governance. I believe that the Board needs Trustees who are willing to go beyond the status quo, create policies that will improve the culture and performance of the GFPID and GVFD, and ensure honest, transparent governance.
I welcome respectful discussion. Please see my website at dimitritz.ca for more information, and to contact me directly.
Thank you for your support.
Learn more
Website: dimitritz.ca
Email: use contact form on website
Meet and greets: —
For all candidates, we recommend that those interested in their campaign
Tell us about your skills and experience.
I, John Rankin, am a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) with an MBA and extensive senior management experience in the private, public sector and Indigenous governance environments. I have served as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, and other roles within First Nation governments, where my duties have included responsibility for financial oversight, governance support, strategic planning and negotiations with Canada, the Province of BC and other First Nations.
Further, I have served on the Board of Director for non-profits, where my Financial, Governance and Human Resource experience have been of benefit.
My background includes leading complex budgets, strengthening financial controls, assessing and developing policies, and supporting boards and leadership teams in making informed decisions. I have also worked closely with governing bodies to improve processes, clarify roles and responsibilities, and ensure decisions are grounded in sound policy and best practices.
I bring a steady, practical approach to governance, with a focus on preparation, due diligence, and respectful collaboration. I am comfortable working through complex or challenging issues and helping groups move toward clear, well-informed decisions that serve the broader community.
Why should I vote for you?
I am committed to bringing stability, clarity, and a strong governance focus to the Board of Trustees.
The Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District plays a critical role in community safety, and it is important that decisions are made thoughtfully, transparently, and with a clear understanding of both financial and operational impacts. My experience in financial oversight and governance will support informed decision-making based on sound policies and best practices and help ensure resources are managed responsibly with risks managed.
I believe effective governance requires respectful dialogue, community engagement, a willingness to listen, and a focus on the work rather than the personalities involved. I will approach the role with professionalism, accountability, and a commitment to working collaboratively with fellow trustees, management, the community and other stakeholders.
If elected, my goal is to contribute to a well-functioning, focused Board that supports management and staff, the Fire Department overall and serves the best interests of Gabriola residents. Initiatives I currently plan to present as a Trustee, if elected, to the Board for consideration, include:
As with all my past commitments, if elected, I commit to further learning and understanding to fulfill my role responsibly.
I invite feedback and am appreciative of your consideration.
Learn more
Website: www.johnrankinfortrustee.ca
Email: JohnRankinForTrustee@gmail.com
Meet and greets: April 25, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm, Gabriola Library
For all candidates, we recommend that those interested in their campaign
Trustee Moher is running for re-election in 2026. We have reached out to all candidates, but Chronicles has received no information from her.
For all candidates, we recommend that those interested in their campaign
Trustee Johnson is running for re-election in 2026. We have reached out to all candidates, but Chronicles has received no information from him.
For all candidates, we recommend that those interested in their campaign
Tell us about your skills and experience.
Hi, my name is Dr. Matt Dow and I am the former Corporate Officer (2024-25) of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District (District hereafter). I hold a PhD and MA in Political Science from York University, Toronto, with specializations in International Relations and Canadian Politics. Prior to my employment as a Corporate Officer, I was both Lecturer and Teaching Assistant at York University. I was also an assistant treasurer, union representative, and strike coordinator for CUPE 3903. I have substantial experience & knowledge of best standard governance and labour practices, bylaws, policies, budgets, and FOIs (Freedom of Information) and am familiar with both the inner workings of the District and Fire Department. Please also visit my website at: mattdow.ca for more information.
Why should I vote for you?
In the Sounder & on my website are analysis-driven and specific reasons why I think you should vote for me. I hope it is okay with the Chronicles’ Staff that I give a more sensitive-passionate response here. In all honesty, I believe the current Board should be celebrated for their achievements and accomplishments for adopting some good governance practices. Democracy and good governance practices are extremely messy and at times can flare up peoples’ very strong beliefs, but spirited debates and transparency are essential pillars of creating trust in any governing institution.
I think the current Board is at a crossroads between the Old-Way and New-Way.
The first path (the Old-Way) is to turn around and head back to an outdated anti-democratic, anti-transparency way with questionable financial practices. These practices have created resentment amongst many public members who are then forced to turn to the 2019 election lawsuit and the submission of FOI requests to get access to information they rightfully should be entitled to (See Trustee Mercier’s websites Ignorant Nonsense & gfpidiculous). I hope this is not the direction we are heading as it is far cheaper & easier for the Board to be transparent, as Professional Fees continue to escalate, being paid by your taxes. While Professional Fees, at times, are necessary, they do not contribute to helping the Volunteer Firefighters do their job in any capacity.
There are many free resources available to help the Board avoid these unnecessary Third-Party Contractors and Lawyers when it comes to properly conducting meetings, elections, to FOI requests, and so much more.
The direction of the District matters, especially for the Fire Department and its operation. Contrary to popular belief, there is no separation between the District and the Fire Department. The District creates the Fire Department through what is outlined and written in Bylaw 98, which is outdated. Furthermore, the Volunteer Firefighters have unionized which to me signals that they no longer have confidence or trust in the Board of Trustees and Management.
If a significant portion of the public and volunteer firefighters do not have confidence or trust in the Board of Trustees, I think it is time to try another path and elect new trustees.
The second path (New-Way) is to continue toward the road of good governance and attempt to mend the relationship between the Volunteer Firefighters and the Board. I think this is where my skills suit the position of Trustee.
Please Vote For Me! Let’s Transform This Fire Improvement District Together from a ‘Fire Family’ to a Fire Community!
Learn more
Website: mattdow.ca
Email: use form on website
Meet and greets
April 16th from 5:00pm to 6:50pm, Gabriola Library
For all candidates, we recommend that those interested in their campaign
The Improvement District Manual states on page 19:
Persons entitled to vote at an election must meet all of the following requirements:
One vote is also allowed for each board or corporation that owns land within the improvement district. The board or corporation must designate one person to act as an authorized agent to vote on its behalf. This should be done in writing so the returning officer can verify the vote.
If more than one person is registered on title as a landowner, each one can vote as long as they also meet the other qualifications.
However, no person can have two votes unless they meet the qualifications to be an elector and are also an agent authorized to vote on behalf of a board or corporation.
On p21 the Manual adds:
It should be noted that only persons attending the election, and meeting the eligibility requirements, are entitled to vote. Persons not attending the election in person cannot vote by proxy.
The Returning Officer noted (at the general meeting March 4th) that at the last election “quite a few” people assumed that they were eligible to vote but were not, because in order to vote your name must be on legal title. She suggested that people check their BC property assessment forms, which list all persons on title, and that people bring those forms with their ID.
For the first time, advance polling will be offered in the GFPID election, giving voters a choice of two dates on which they can cast their ballots. Polls will be in the Fire Hall Training Room at Fire Hall #1 on Church Street.
Detailed information on the election can be found on the gabriolafire.ca website.
The GFPID is an autonomous local government body responsible for providing fire protection services. As with all democratic government bodies, residents in a community express their opinions by voting for representatives—this is your opportunity to have your say. GFPID Chronicles encourages all Gabriola residents to educate themselves on issues and candidates, and to vote in the election and at the AGM (if allowed by law to do so).
We have received this announcement to share with you:
Gabriola Talks is holding an All Candidates Meeting for the fire board trustees. It will be on Wednesday April 22nd, 2026, at 7 pm at the AGI Hall. All questions will be from the floor, with questioners drawn at random from those indicating they wish to ask a question. Both questions and responses will be time-limited.
Trustee candidate Matt Dow is having a meet and greet event at the Gabriola Library. He asked us to share this with you:
"Hello GFPID Chronicles & Gabriola, I would like to inform everyone that I'm running as a Trustee for the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District. On April 16th from 5:00pm to 6:50pm, I will be doing a short presentation on my campaign, looking for public input, and will answer questions."
We recently published two posts meant for 2026 GFPID trustee candidates:
We don't have direct contact information for a number of candidates, but we would like to make all of their information available, and publish their statements, if we can. If you know any of the candidates who are running this year, could you please pass on these invitations to them? We would appreciate that.
As per the announcement in the Sounder News, "Six candidates [are] running for four Trustee positions in 2026 Fire Board election." Three positions are for a 3-year term, one is for a 1-year term.
The named candidates are:
General election day is Wednesday May 6th, 11 am to 7 pm, at the Fire Hall on Church Street. An advance poll will be held at the same location on Saturday May 2nd, from 11 am to 7 pm.
Voter requirements (Letters Patent): "At any general meeting every person shall be qualified to vote who is a Canadian citizen, is eighteen years old or older and is an owner of land in the improvement district." (There are also provisions extending voting rights to agents of land-owning businesses and representatives of incapacitated individuals.)
The annual AGM will be held on May 6th after polls close, starting at 7:30 pm. The AGM is open to the public but only landowners may vote.
More information on voting and the AGM is available at gabriolafire.ca.
The GFPID is an autonomous local government body responsible for providing fire protection services. As with all democratic government bodies, residents in a community express their opinions by voting for representatives—this is your opportunity to have your say. We encourage all Gabriola residents allowed by law to do so to educate themselves on the platforms of candidates and vote in the election, and to attend the AGM and vote.
Chronicles will provide more information on candidates and election related events as it becomes available. We will post links to candidate websites (excluding those on social media sites), information on meet-and-greets or All-Candidates meetings, and invite all candidates to submit a statement answering two basic questions.
Gabriola will soon select four GFPID trustees. (The 2026 election is on Wednesday, May 6th, and there is an advance poll on Saturday, May 2nd.)
Some candidates may offer meet-and-greet events, so that voters can ask questions about their platforms, and get an idea of which candidates they want to support.
If you are running to be a GFPID trustee, we would love to publish the details of any meet-and-greet type events you have. Use our contact form to get in touch.
See also: An invitation to GFPID election candidates.
GFPID Chronicles invites all trustee candidates in the upcoming election to provide us with answers to two questions about their campaigns. Chronicles will publish the answers to these questions after nominations close. The questions are:
If you are a candidate, and wish to submit your answers to these questions, please use the candidate submissions form to get in touch with us.
Chronicles will publish all candidate names, whether statements are provided or not. We will also publish links to any campaign websites, but note that as per our policy, we will not link to social media sites.
Answers submitted by candidates will be accepted for publication until midnight on April 17th, and the material will be published on April 18th. Any statements received after April 17th will NOT be published, because we want candidate statements to stand alone and not be influenced by what others might say.
NOTE: Nominations close on April 9th and we anticipate that the complete list of candidates will be published in the Sounder on April 15th. We will attempt to contact all candidates directly to ask for statements, but we are not a news organization and are unlikely to have contact information for all of them. Can you help? We encourage everyone to let any and all candidates know about this post, and that they can submit their information using our contact form.
We expect the Sounder to have substantial election coverage and ask its own questions; we will link to those articles when possible.
Sounder coverage:
An AGM and election for the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District (GFPID) will be held in May. Detailed information with important dates for candidates and voters can be found on the gabriolafire.ca website. Polls will be in the Fire Hall Training Room.
Trustee terms are three years. This election will fill 4 vacant positions; three are full 3-year terms, one will be a one-year term resulting from the resignation of Trustee Ray Appel. (Sounder News reports that shorter terms are generally assigned to the winning candidate receiving the lowest number of votes.) Should there be only four candidates, they will be acclaimed at the AGM and there will be no election.
PLEASE NOTE that only landholders may vote in GFPID elections—your name must be on title, and on the voting roll. The Returning Officer noted at the March 4th general meeting that “at the last election ‘quite a few’ people assumed that they were eligible but were not, because in order to vote your name must be on legal title. She suggested that people check their BC property assessment forms, which list all persons on title, and suggest bringing those forms with their ID.”
The AGM will be held at 7:30 pm on May 6th after polls close. As per the information on gabriolafire.ca,
“Any member of the public may attend the AGM, but only landowners may vote. At Registration/Check in for attendees, the Board designate and a volunteer will check that landowners (via the roll book) have the right to vote. Each attendee will receive a neon coloured piece of paper, to be held up for voting on motions arising at the AGM.”
This year the election will include advance polling (Saturday May 2nd, 11 am- 7 pm) for the first time, after some years of requests for it. This is the first year of a three-year trial, as explained during the November 2025 general meeting.
While the regular election day is a weekday, the advanced poll is on a weekend. GFPID Chronicles believes that providing a second, weekend option is an important step in increasing voting accessibility and strongly supports doing so.
UPDATE: as per the Chief's report to the April general meeting, the Open House has been postponed till Fire Prevention Week in October.
Every year the Fire Hall holds an Open House. It’s a great opportunity for the community to meet the firefighters and learn more about GVFD activities and programs, as well as those of related services and organizations, and there are always activities of interest to kids as well as adults.
As per the transcript of the March 13th meeting, the Fire Department scheduled the 2026 Open House for May 2nd, the same day as the election advance polls, with the assumption that doing so would be beneficial to both parties by drawing in more people. However, the Board of Trustees was not consulted on scheduling, and some trustees had concerns about the effects of overlapping the two activities, noting that there was a potential to politicize a community event. It was also noted that it would be impossible for the Board to have a table at an event held on an election day. After some contentious discussion a motion was passed “that the trustees direct the fire chief to schedule the Open House not during the district voting event.”
As of this date of publication, Chronicles understands that 2026 Open House planning is on hold. GFPID Chronicles will publish any updates on the Open House if a decision is made to reschedule it.
NOTE: General meetings are usually held on the first Wednesday of the month. An extra open meeting was scheduled during the month of March to address material that required a timely response but was not covered in the earlier March meeting. The agenda posted on the calendar indicated that the meeting would cover three items, but more were added.
As is typical for GFPID meetings, Trustees and others often interrupt and talk over each other, and there are frequent side conversations, which sometimes makes it difficult to understand what is being said in the videos.
AGENDA
The March meeting of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District trustees saw some disagreements, but on the whole proceeded reasonably civilly and efficiently. We are summarizing matters and providing transcripts only where there are areas of contention or details that we believe are of interest.
Table of Contents
Call to order, housekeeping items.
BUSINESS ARISING AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS
The February meeting of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District trustees saw some disagreements, but on the whole proceeded civilly and efficiently. We are summarizing matters and providing transcripts only where there are areas of contention or details that we believe are of interest.
Signal to noise ratio (good/bad/ugly) = good
Relevant content in the February 13th edition of the Sounder:
Call to order, housekeeping items.
At meetings of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District, motions are made, discussed, and often passed. But what happens when action been agreed upon, and how do we track what has been accomplished?
This is a busy board that addresses a lot of issues through a number of committees, often involving work over extended periods of time, so it can be very hard to keep track of the status of actions arising from motions.
This helpful table made by Trustee Wayne Mercier, Resolution Tracker 2026, compiles information about the status of recent resolutions. Click the link to view it in pdf format. We hope to update its information at regular intervals as the actions arising from resolutions are completed.
We thank the GFPID Chronicles reader who shared this file with us. (If you have something of interest to share with us, or corrections or updates regarding the information provided in this pdf or elsewhere, please get in touch.)
The January meeting of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District trustees was delayed from the usual first Wednesday to the second Wednesday of the month.
Because most of the meeting proceded civilly and efficiently, we are summarizing matters and providing transcripts only where there are areas of disagreement or details that we believe are of interest.
Signal to noise ratio (good/bad/ugly) = good
The January 21st 2026 Sounder has three articles reporting on this meeting:
Introduction of late agenda items and adoption of agenda
Correspondence - none
Financial report - none
BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES and UNFINISHED BUSINESS
This is the sixth post in our series about the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement meeting that took place on December 3rd, 2025.
The first post about the 2025-12-03 meeting provides an introduction, links, and useful background information. Our transcription of the meeting itself begins in the second post of this series and is completed in this, the sixth and final post.
BUSINESS ARISING continued
This is the fifth post in our series about the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement meeting that took place on December 3rd, 2025.
The first post about the 2025-12-03 meeting provides an introduction, links, and useful background information. Our transcription of the meeting itself begins in the second post of this series and continues in the third post and fourth post.
Part 5 only contains agenda item 5 under Business Arising, the Respectful Workplace Policy. The lengthy discussion demonstrated strongly held divisions with regard to the extent of the authority of the Board with regard to the Fire Department.
Respectful Workplace Policy
This is the fourth post in our series about the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement meeting that took place on December 3rd, 2025.
The first post about the 2025-12-03 meeting provides an introduction, links, and useful background information. Our transcription of the meeting itself begins in the second post of this series and continues in the third post.
Readers, we need your help.
We publish transcripts of GFPID meetings because we think it's important for the Gabriola community to know what is going on at trustee meetings, and because for some people reading/skimming written content may be more accessible or practical than a video or sound recording. If you read through these posts, we think you'll agree that we provide a valuable resource.
But... the December meeting was six and half hours long! and making transcripts of it is an enormous amount of work. Our transcribers have been doing a fantastic job, but we need more people working on it. Can you help us, now or with future transcriptions, by editing and correcting an automated transcript of one section of a meeting?
It's a volunteer thing you can do on Gabriola, for Gabriola, and you don't have to get dressed for it! Our help us transcribe page has more details and a sign-up form.
This is the third post in our series about the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement meeting that took place on December 3rd, 2025.
The first post about the 2025-12-03 meeting provides an introduction, links, and useful background information. Our transcription of the meeting itself begins in the second post of this series.
For your convenience we are providing a Table of Contents.
This is the second post in our series about the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement meeting that took place on December 3rd, 2025.
The first post about the 2025-12-03 meeting provides an introduction, links, and useful background information.
For your convenience we are providing a Table of Contents.
The December 3rd meeting of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District board of trustees ran for almost six and a half hours and was contentious, confusing, and chaotic from start to finish.
The Sounder wrote a strong editorial about that meeting that noted: “Compromise was a rarity at the last Fire Board meeting… Arguments were happening at the table rooted in partisanship, rather than the issues at hand. The meeting was disorganized, chaotic, and lacking in direction. … This kind of governance should not be about picking a side, and defending that side at all costs. It should be about doing the necessary work for the community.”
The Sounder also reported on two issues raised:
Republished from the original letter to the Sounder News, November 5, 2025. (The government site link has been edited to reflect an internal relocation.)
The Chief's report in the agenda package for the December GFPID general meeting notes that he is "currently reviewing the BC Employer’s Grant."
To the Board of Trustees of the Gabriola Fire Protection Improvement District
I am writing to formally and urgently encourage the Gabriola Volunteer Fire Department (GVFD), as an improvement district, to pursue the B.C. Employer Training Grant (ETG) to fund essential firefighter training.
Despite multiple discussions with GVFD leadership over the past three years—including the former training officer, the current Fire Chief, and the Deputy Chief—the department has yet to submit an application. I firmly believe this grant is an accessible and significant opportunity that we must not overlook.
...continue reading "Letter to the Editor: BC Employer Training Grants"