Your neighbour. Your voice.
I'm Bernadette LaFleur. I've lived in Area D for more than 25 years, and I'm asking for your vote on October 17 because the people who live here should be asked before our rural community is changed. Growth at a pace we choose, fair taxes, and a Director who listens first.
Rooted here. Working for you.
I've called Area D home for more than 25 years. I chose to live here for the rural lifestyle, and it turned out to be a wonderful place to raise a family. Today I'm a mother, a grandmother, and a stylist and manager at a busy local salon, which means I spend my working days listening to people from every corner of this community.
I'm not a career politician. I've been an active volunteer for as long as I've lived here: school Parent Advisory Councils at Oyster River and Ocean Grove, fundraising and hosting family events, and the Black Creek Community Association. That work taught me that good things happen in a community when people are asked, heard, and included — not when decisions are handed down.
I'm passionate about fairness, equality, and standing up for people who feel they haven't been heard. That's what I'll bring to the SRD board table.
You'll find me at the salon, on the beach with Pablo, or at community events across Area D. Stop me and say hello. I'd rather hear from you in person than read about it later.
Why I'm running
- Consultation before change. Major rezoning, densification or subdivision of rural land needs proper public consultation, with residents' views given a real voice in the outcome.
- Growth at a reasonable pace. Area D can welcome new neighbours while protecting the green spaces, wildlife corridors and rural character that brought us all here.
- Fair taxes, decided in the open. Big spending decisions should go to a referendum, and no AAP should pass because residents never heard about it.
- A Director who answers. I commit to responding to every resident's email and keeping this website current so you always know what's happening at the board.
What I'll fight for at the board table
These are the issues I hear about most from Area D residents, and where I stand on each. If something important to you is missing, email me. That's the point.
Growth at a pace residents choose
Area D is a rural community, and most of us want it to stay one. Radical rezoning, densification or carving-up of rural land into smaller parcels needs proper public consultation, and residents' views need a real voice in shaping the outcome. New housing has a place here, at a reasonable pace and in the right locations. Communication is the key to well-planned neighbourhoods.
Protect green space & wildlife corridors
Every development decision should ask what it does to our forests, riparian areas, shoreline and the corridors wildlife depends on. I'll push for those protections to be written into plans, not left to goodwill.
Alternative Approval Process reform
An AAP is a process where your silence counts as a yes, and the SRD does the bare minimum to advertise them. Most voters have no idea one is happening. This must change. I'll push the Board to properly notify residents, make sure every Area D home hears about an AAP before the deadline, and insist that truly major spending goes to a referendum where you can vote directly.
An independent voice for Area D
Area D is not Campbell River. From land-use planning to Strathcona Gardens spending, too many decisions in recent years have gone the city's way. Electoral areas need their independence to survive. I'll ask one question of every vote at the board table: is this right for the people of Area D?
Water we can account for
I support water meters. They keep each of us accountable for what we use, catch leaks before they become bills, and protect a resource we can't take for granted. I'll work to keep the water utility stable and rates predictable.
Listening as a way of governing
Consultation should happen before a decision, not after. I'll bring board business back to the community in plain language, answer every email, and make sure Area D's voice is heard at the table, not just recorded in the minutes.
What does an Area D Director actually do?
Area D has no municipal council. Your one elected Director is your voice on the Strathcona Regional District Board, which sets the budget and delivers services for the electoral areas. A four-year term runs November 2026 to 2030.
That one seat decides how your requisition (the regional part of your property tax bill) is spent, and how Area D is treated when the Board splits costs among Campbell River, the islands and the rural areas.
Your Director helps decide:
- Land use planning, zoning and development permits in Area D
- Community water systems and their rates
- Parks, trails, beach access and recreation funding
- Strathcona Gardens: the Director sits on the Strathcona Gardens Commission and shares responsibility for its decisions
- Fire protection agreements and emergency preparedness
- Grant-in-aid funding for local community groups
- Advocacy to the province on highways, transit and health services
Small campaigns are won by neighbours
The 2022 Area D race was decided by about 120 votes out of roughly 1,300 cast. A lawn sign, a conversation with three friends, or a couple of hours on a Saturday makes a real difference here.
Request a lawn sign
Request a sign and our sign crew will deliver it and pick it up after the election. Every sign helps, on the highway or on a quiet road.
Volunteer
Door-knocking with Bernadette, delivering flyers, hosting a kitchen-table meet-and-greet, driving neighbours to the polls on October 17, or helping online.
Donate
Signs and printing cost real money, and campaign spending in Area D is capped at $6,161.89, so every $25 counts. Individuals may give up to $1,429.70 in 2026. Contributions over $100 are publicly reported by name to Elections BC, and only individuals who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents normally resident in B.C. may contribute.
Contact us to donate Or contact our financial agent, Paul LaFleur, at paulipher@gmail.com for e-transfer details.
Sign up
Or just email BernadetteforAreaD@gmail.com.
Come meet Bernadette
—date
Campaign kick-off & coffee
Location TBC (community hall / café). Everyone welcome. Meet Bernadette, pick up a sign, ask anything.
—ongoing
Bernadette in your neighbourhood
Bernadette will be out meeting residents across Area D through September and October. Want her to stop by your road or your community group? Let us know in the form above.
17 – 9 pm
Area Director Candidates Debate
Tidemark Theatre, Campbell River. Hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. Come hear from the candidates and bring your questions.
Voting in Area D is quick. Here's how.
- Who can vote: Canadian citizens 18+, resident in B.C. for at least 6 months and in Area D on voting day — or non-resident owners of property in Area D (one per property, with written consent of the other owners).
- Bring two pieces of ID, at least one with a signature (driver's licence, BC Services Card, care card, credit card, utility bill, etc.). You can register at the polls.
- Advance voting: Wednesday, October 7 and Thursday, October 15, 8 am – 8 pm, at the Strathcona Regional District office, 990 Cedar Street, Campbell River.
- General Voting Day: Saturday, October 17, 8 am – 8 pm. Area D voting places: TBA. We'll post them here and on Facebook the moment the SRD announces them.
- Mail ballot: any Area D elector may vote by mail. Request a package from the SRD early — details at srd.ca/local-elections.
Official information: Strathcona Regional District, 990 Cedar Street, Campbell River · 250-830-6700 · srd.ca/local-elections
Need a ride on voting day?
Area D is big — nearly 1,850 square kilometres — and not everyone drives. Volunteers will be offering rides to the polls on October 7, 15 and 17. Email BernadetteforAreaD@gmail.com and we'll arrange it.
Know a neighbour who hasn't voted?
Rural turnout is usually under 40%. The single most effective thing you can do is remind three neighbours, and offer to go together.
Help get out the vote