For Powell River City Council

Making Powell River work for the people who live here.

I’m Dustin Silvey, and I’m running for City Council because I believe Council can work with greater care, cooperation, and focus. My priorities are a responsible approach to property taxes and City spending, safer communities, reliable services, and decisions that reflect the needs of the people who live here.

What I’ll focus on Why I’m running

Former remote medic
PhD in Applied Health Sciences
Executive coach

Where I stand

The areas I would focus on as a councillor

Powell River is changing quickly, and Council will rarely have perfect information or easy choices. I would do the hard work to understand each issue, listen closely to the people affected, and make the best decision I can. I would be honest about the trade-offs, open to what I may have missed, and willing to speak up when something doesn’t seem right.

Property taxes and responsible spending

Municipal tax increases above five per cent are often presented as unavoidable, but I do not accept that they should be. Other B.C. communities facing many of the same pressures have kept increases lower than Powell River. Council should set a firm annual policy limit on property-tax increases, then work with staff to build a budget that respects it. Council cannot find lasting efficiencies simply by digging through line items on its own. Staff know the organization best, so success will require their knowledge, cooperation, and a high level of trust between staff and Council. I want to help build that relationship so we can protect core services, find better ways of working, and give residents a tax limit they can plan around.

Safe neighbourhoods and public safety

Powell River can care for vulnerable people without asking the surrounding community to absorb the consequences of an incomplete system. Harm reduction can keep people alive, and that matters. But it is not enough on its own. We also need treatment, mental-health care, recovery programs, housing, and clear rules. Without those supports, the problems are pushed onto neighbours, businesses, emergency workers, and local taxpayers. The City needs to push the provincial and federal governments for a better plan.

Strong, accountable Council leadership

Powell River needs strong leadership from the people our residents elect. Council should listen carefully to the community, consider staff advice, evidence, and opposing views, and then make clear decisions. That keeps authority and accountability with elected representatives and helps ensure Powell River’s direction reflects the community’s values.

Getting the basics right

Municipal government should focus on the work it is responsible for: roads, water, sewer, parks, recreation, waste, emergency services, and the long-term care of public assets. Council should reject work that falls outside municipal responsibility unless the government responsible provides the authority and full funding needed to do it properly. In many cases, that will mean pressing the provincial or federal government to meet their own obligations rather than allowing the cost to be shifted onto local taxpayers. Staying in our lane protects core services, tax dollars, and public accountability.

What I can promise

I will come to every Council meeting ready to listen and learn. I won’t agree with everyone, and not every decision will be easy or popular. But I will do my homework, respect different points of view, explain how I reached my decisions, and take responsibility for the choices I make.

Why Powell River

Powell River offered the sense of community we had been looking for

I grew up in Quesnel and have always loved small-town life. Over the years, I lived in communities across Canada and in South America. My wife, Janel, and I eventually ended up in Vancouver’s Olympic Village. We were surrounded by people, but missed the feeling of knowing our neighbours and having a sense of community.

We first came to Powell River on a paddling trip and a year later, we packed up and moved here. Since then, we have bought a home, adopted our dogs, and built a life around what makes this place feel like home: familiar faces, generous neighbours, trails, dirt bikes, and whales just offshore.

I earned a PhD in Applied Health Sciences through Memorial University’s School of Medicine. My doctoral research in Newfoundland and Labrador examined how accessible, community-led activity programming could be designed, put into practice, and evaluated. That work reinforced something I have carried into every role since: good decisions start with listening to the people affected, respecting what they know, and checking whether an idea actually works and is wanted.

I’m running because this sense of community that Powell River has is worth protecting. I believe City Council should work the same way: listen, treat people with respect, take responsibility, and make decisions that work in real life.

Make a plan to vote

Saturday, October 17, 2026

Advance voting is scheduled for October 7, 10, and 14. Voting locations and hours will be confirmed by the City.

Official election information

Questions, ideas, or support?

I’d like to hear from you.

If you have a question, a concern, or a different point of view, I would be glad to hear it.

dustin@dustinsilveypr.ca