Here’s a copy of the statement I gave at the Maple Bay All Candidates’ Meeting on Tuesday Sept. 22, 2026 . For those who couldn’t attend, a recording of the meeting has been posted to YouTube. I speak at the 35 minute mark in the video.
Good evening – and happy 1st day of fall! My name is Derek Masselink. My wife Michelle and I live and farm in Chemainus. I have a background in ecology, landscape design and planning, and agrology. I currently teach leadership, governance and sustainability science at Royal Roads University.
I’ve spent my 30 year career here in BC; helping individuals, organizations and communities understand, plan, and work to improve or better manage their land and how they work together.
Being Dutch, I’m a practical person – determined to do things better, more sustainably, for less money and effort. I’ve done this in every position I’ve held – as a technician, agrologist, consultant, educator, and twice as a locally elected official. And I’ve done this in ways that don’t sacrifice the environment or people. I believe that we make things better when we care for our work, for the people involved, our communities and the surrounding environment. Things are always or get better when we approach them with care and attention.
This is integral to who I am and how I see the world. It’s how I was raised. By a forester/conservationist father and a social worker mother who regarded the world as a complex, interconnected web of relationships, full of possibility and deserving of greater care and attention. Both believed that things are made better through acts of public service.
Public service is how I came to the Valley. In 2016, I accepted the regional agrologist position with the Ministry of Agriculture, in Duncan.
At the time we were living on a family farm property on Pender Island. I was serving a second term with the Islands’ Trust, and had acted as alternate to the Regional Director, helping with the issue of derelict vessels, management, retention of our public docks, and development of an effective management approach.
We had planned to move to Salt Spring Island where both our daughters were attending school. But after a year of looking for a farm, we gave up and started looking in North Cowichan. In September of 2017, thanks to Laura, the local realtor, we moved onto our dream farm in Chemainus.
But like many farmers, to pay for it required me to put most of my time and effort into off-farm work – which soon had me moving up the corporate ladder – giving up my position in Duncan to take on a higher-paying, management role in Victoria. Commuting each day to a challenging job, on top of my teaching responsibilities at RRU, farm work, and being a good dad and husband, kept me busy – too busy to do much else.
This spring, that all changed when I left government – freeing me up to invest more of myself in our community. This change was the catalyst for me to run in this election.
I’m running because I want to contribute my abilities and extensive experience as my act of public service to this place. North Cowichan and Maple Bay are facing increasingly complex and significant challenges. We need elected representatives focused on solving problems by finding creative solutions.
If elected:
I will bring new energy, ideas and expertise.
I will bring more openness and accountability to Council’s deliberation and decision-making.
I will bring experience working with First Nations, Provincial and Federal governments.
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 future for our Valley and children?
- Does this empower us as a community?
Thank you for the opportunity to share a bit about myself and why I am running. On October 17th I hope that you will consider me for the position of Councilor. I look forward to meeting with you after and answering your questions.