Water, agriculture and small business are all key topics for Dan Ferguson, who is running for the seat for Area E on the Cowichan Valley Regional District.
"I want to see small business treated a little bit better in my area," Ferguson said. "The biggest one is I'm very concerned about agriculture in the Valley."
He says there are a bunch of new farms starting in Cowichan, but the Valley needs to do more to hold them here.
"Once we get all of these businesses started, what are we doing in the Valley to help our farmers maintain the quality of life and increase agriculture for future generations?" he questioned.
Ferguson said agriculture also ties into his concern about water and allocation of water, as well as development around the agricultural land reserve, which he identifies as essential to protect. "We need to be leaving this Valley in better order than we came into it," he said. "To my mind that's through making development work around agricultural land instead of on top of it."
We have to be able to grow our own food, he said, and reduce our dependence on California and the southern U.S. where drought conditions have created real worries.
He says he brings "a whole lot of common sense" to the table, as someone who has built two successful organic farms, including Dragonfly Farm here in Cowichan.
He says he also brings the desire and ability to negotiate and listen, important qualities when working on a large board of directors.