DEREK MASSELINK For North Cowichan Council · October 17, 2026
Let’s elect a council that is as good as our Valley.
I’m Derek Masselink – a trained ecologist, landscape architect, and agrologist who has worked and lived in the Valley for the past decade. I believe that North Cowichan’s greatest assets are and have always been this place and the people who live and work here. Let’s make the most of this by working for better together.
About Me
A planner’s eye. A farmer’s care. A neighbour’s commitment.
I’ve spent over thirty years helping communities plan, manage, govern and improve the places I love – as an ecologist, agrologist consultant, educator and political representative. My work spans watershed and park planning, sustainable agriculture, community planning, reconciliation and relationship-building with Indigenous Nations and economic development. I have had the opportunity to do this work in my home communities here on the Island as well as other parts of BC, Canada and the US.
I have direct experience in municipal and regional politics having been elected twice as Islands Trustee for North Pender Island, serving from 2008-2011 and again from 2014-2018. In between these two terms I served as an Alternate for the Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area Director in the Capital Regional District from 2012-2013.
I worked for the Provincial Government for 16 years in areas including conservation, Indigenous relations and treaty negotiations, agriculture, emergency management, leadership development and innovation. My intergovernmental experience was put to use following the 2021 floods when I was called on to help coordinate the delivery of disaster recovery efforts and services to affected communities and Nations in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island including the Cowichan and Chemainus Valleys.
In 2013 I established the ŦELÁṈET Centre for Innovation and Peace, a Salish Sea-focused educational organization to support reconciliation and education-related initiatives.
I currently teach governance, sustainability science and leadership to graduate students at Royal Roads University and have brought students to this Valley to learn and work on challenges like watershed management and agricultural planning.
I understand and am familiar with many of the challenges that we are facing here in the Cowichan Valley. I understand how government works and doesn’t work. I also understand how government could be practically and materially improved. Helping people come together to address difficult issues to make and implement better decisions isn’t just a campaign slogan, it’s what I’ve been doing for much of my career.
Today my wife Michelle and I live in Chemainus on Ultreïa Farm where we grow food and flowers, keep horses, chickens, sheep and bees. It’s our little piece of paradise in the Cowichan Valley — a living expression of what is important to us.
"I endorse Derek Masselink because he appreciates the nature and complexity of the challenges facing our communities. He is willing to engage in thoughtful and creative dialogue with everyone in order to effectively meet these challenges. I have always been impressed by his calm, open and collaborative approach" — Adam Olsen, former MLA and member of the Tsartlip First Nation
My approach · read it like a Pledge
Four commitments, made.
A good plan like a good farm or garden starts with what already exists. North Cowichan has so many strengths – more than almost anywhere. My approach is to recognize and build from these strengths.
Make the most of what we have
We have unique, world-class assets that require careful and imaginative stewardship. They include: our municipal forest – the Six Mountains; the Cowichan, Koksilah and Chemainus Rivers and their watersheds; Quamichan and Somenos Lakes; our distinct, compact communities; farmland, ocean and countryside; industry; trails from Tzouhalem to Prevost and 15,000+ years of human history with Nations, communities and businesses who care deeply for this place.
I will use my skills and experience to consider and work with our assets in a manner that generates immediate and longer-term benefits for current and future residents.
Grow a healthy, vibrant, welcoming ecosystem
There is room here – for young families, for tradespeople and growers, for enterprises small and large – who transform our Valley’s assets into livelihoods. To do more of this and better requires an environment that encourages and supports productive collaboration. The recent closing of the Crofton Mill exposes the risk we all face with the growing economic crisis. More and more people and families in our community are just a paycheque away from losing everything. A more diverse, resilient local economy is no longer a nice-to-have. We now need it in order to maintain the current services we count on, without creating future costs and compromising what makes this place special.
I will help cultivate a healthy, attractive economy that fits this place and meets our needs without compromising our future. I will do this in a fiscally prudent way.
Partner with First Nations, for real
North Cowichan is the ancestral and unceded territory of the Quw’utsun peoples, whose relationship with this land can be understood and measured in millennia not years. Real partnership in our watersheds, the land, and the economy needs to be more than just words. It needs to be demonstrated through actions. Local government needs to be part of this conversation and work to ensure its long-term success.
I will help move this conversation from talk to tangible and collaborative action using my experience and relationships with First Nations, government and academia.
Work together as a team
The challenges we face – housing, homelessness, public safety, a diminishing economy, water scarcity, and climate change – didn’t start here and are far beyond the responsibilities and reach of local government. But these challenges are not going away – they’re also not waiting for us to figure out or agree on what to do. To address them will require us working together more effectively and in a way that demonstrates progress to our residents and to the government and non-government organizations that are involved.
I will use my skills and experience building collaborative, multi-agency, problem solving teams that puts our community in a position to meet these challenges.
My promise
Pragmatic idealism.
This moment in time requires courageous and compassionate leadership. We need political representatives that are focused on solving problems, not scoring points or stubbornly sticking to ideological positions.
If elected to North Cowichan’s Council on Oct 17, 2026:
I will bring new energy and ideas to North Cowichan through my position as a councilor.
I will not shy away from challenging conversations and decisions.
I will approach each decision with the following questions:
- Is this in the long-term interest of our community?
- Does this contribute to a better, brighter future for our Valley and our children?
- Does this bring us together and empower us as a community?
Rooted here
Get involved
Campaigns are made of neighbours.
Donate. Talk to your friends and neighbours. Knock on doors. Host a coffee conversation. Put up a sign. Or just stay in the loop. Every contribution matters this election.
Support the campaign
This is a grassroots campaign, funded by neighbours in small amounts — not big money. Contributions in BC local elections come with rules: only individuals ordinarily resident in BC who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents may donate, contributions are capped by provincial law, and every donation must be recorded by our Linda Hicks, our financial agent.
How to Vote
Mark the date. Bring a neighbour.
General voting day
Saturday, October 17, 2026 8 am – 8 pm at six locations, including Municipal Hall, Chemainus Secondary, Crofton Firehall, École Mount Prevost, Maple Bay Elementary, and Quw’utsun Secondary.
Advance voting
Oct 7 & Oct 13, 2026 8 am – 8 pm both days at North Cowichan Municipal Hall.
Who can vote
Residents & property electors 18+, Canadian citizens, BC residents 6+ months. Register by Aug 18 to be on the voters list, or register when you vote.
Official information
northcowichan.ca · elections.bc.ca Candidate and voting details from the official sources.