Victoria councillor Geoff Young not seeking re-election
A longstanding member of Victoria council says he will not be seeking re-election this year.
Victoria Coun. Geoff Young has served more than 30 years on city council over two periods.
He was a city councillor from 1983 to 1999, and from 2005 to 2022.
During that time he also served as chair of the Capital Regional District Board for seven years, among other roles in the CRD.
"It has been my honour to serve this city for many years and I wish the incoming council all the best," said Young in a statement Thursday.
"To the current mayor and council, I offer my appreciation for their ability to respect alternative opinions and to separate the personal from the political," he said.
Young said he's proud to have contributed to introducing the 911 emergency response system to the capital region, helping manage the creation of the Galloping Goose trail, and helping safeguard the region's water supply as part of his tenure in local politics.
Young, who has a BA in economics from the University of British Columbia and a PhD in economics from Harvard, says he's looking forward to both travelling and pursuing other professional roles as an economist.
The outgoing councillor says "Victoria is not without challenges and at the moment some of these challenges are very serious," adding that he wishes the incoming council luck in addressing those issues.
Young is now the third city councillor to confirm he is not running for re-election, following announcements from councillors Charlayne Thornton-Joe and Sharmarke Dubow.
Meanwhile, two other council members have declared their intentions to run for mayor.
Councillors Stephen Andrew and Marianne Alto are running for mayor in the upcoming municipal election in October.
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps announced last year that she was retiring from politics after eight years in office.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
Humanist group threatening to sue Vancouver over council prayers
The B.C. Humanist Association has threatened legal action against the City of Vancouver for allowing prayers at council, following a similar warning issued earlier this month to a smaller community on Vancouver Island.
LHSC performs a Canadian first in robot-assisted direct lateral spine surgery
Spine surgery may never be the same for people with chronic back pain and other physical ailments.