BC NDP candidate for MLA in Courtenay-Comox, a Courtenay city councillor and chair of the Comox Valley Regional District board.
Will Cole-Hamilton is on Elections BC's list of accepted nominations for Courtenay-Comox, with the affiliation BC NDP. The City of Courtenay lists him as a councillor, and the Comox Valley Regional District lists him as chair of its board. He told CHEK News he withdrew from the 2026 Courtenay council race to run for the legislature. In his campaign announcement he said the province needs to protect good jobs and strengthen health care. Conservative Brennan Day won the district in 2024 by 93 votes.
A researched record of Will Cole-Hamilton's candidacy in Courtenay-Comox for the BC NDP, with what he has said in 2026 and his record as a Courtenay councillor and regional district board chair.
On dates without a confirmed appearance the public schedule is unknown; the candidate may still have activities that day. This static page changes only when its research is updated.
01 / Introduction
About Will Cole-Hamilton
Elections BC lists Will Cole-Hamilton as the BC NDP candidate for MLA in Courtenay-Comox. On the copy of the list stamped October 1, 2026 11:00:06 PM, he is the only accepted candidate in the district. Nominations close at 1 p.m. on October 3, 2026. CHEK News listed Conservative MLA Brennan Day as running again in the district on September 23, 2026.
The City of Courtenay's council page lists him as a councillor, and the Comox Valley Regional District's board page lists him as board chair. CHEK News calls him a two-term councillor, and reported that he placed second in the 2022 council vote. The Comox Valley Record reported his first run for council in 2018, and his 2022 campaign announcement says he has been a regional district director since 2019.
CHEK News reported on September 24, 2026 that he had already filed to run for Courtenay council again, and switched to the provincial race after the election was called. He told CHEK he had arranged to withdraw his name from the council ballot and that the night before had been his last council meeting.
The BC NDP page for his campaign says he is a former small business owner with a background in law, and that he led the creation of the Comox Valley Housing Authority. The regional district board approved forming that authority on December 9, 2025, at a meeting he chaired, according to the board's minutes. The Comox Valley Record reported in 2018 that he is a graduate of Dalhousie Law School. voche.me has not checked his education or business background with the school or any business registry.
In June 2026 the Comox Valley Record reported that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities named him co-chair of its new Defence Task Force, a group of local governments that works with the federal Department of National Defence.
His name does not appear in the 2024 statement of votes. In that election, Brennan Day of the Conservative Party won Courtenay-Comox with 13,481 votes (38.83 percent). The sitting BC NDP member, Ronna-Rae Leonard, received 13,388 votes (38.56 percent), and Arzeena Hamir of the BC Green Party received 7,202 (20.74 percent).
Published positions and selected commitments, separated by election cycle. Status labels describe the evidence reviewed, not a numerical score or a complete audit of the platform. Council approval is different from delivery.
9 commitments shown · Checked Oct 2
2026 · EconomyCampaign pledge
Protect good jobs and grow the economy
Said in the party's announcement of his candidacy that, at a time of global uncertainty, the province needs to protect good jobs and grow the economy.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Comox Valley Record prints his words from the announcement of September 23, 2026. voche.me did not find the announcement on the party's releases page. The statement names no measure, number, cost or date.
What still needs checking
Which jobs in the Comox Valley would he act to protect, and how?
Said in the same announcement that the province needs to strengthen health care.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
The Comox Valley Record prints his words from the announcement of September 23, 2026. The statement names no measure, number of doctors or beds, cost or date.
What still needs checking
Which health service in the Comox Valley would he ask the Province to add, and by when?
The BC NDP platform page says zoning changes adopted by 97 percent of local governments are making way for 300,000 more homes across B.C. The page does not name Cole-Hamilton.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text. voche.me found no 2026 statement by Cole-Hamilton on provincial housing policy. His regional district housing work is listed under the record.
What still needs checking
Does Cole-Hamilton name a provincial housing measure for the district during the campaign?
The BC NDP platform page says more than 560,000 renters get up to $400 from the renter's tax credit, and that the party lowered ICBC car insurance rates by $500 and then froze them for seven years. The page does not name Cole-Hamilton.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text. voche.me found no 2026 statement by Cole-Hamilton with a cost of living measure.
What still needs checking
Does Cole-Hamilton name a cost of living measure during the campaign?
The BC NDP platform page says the party will keep recruiting and training more doctors, nurses and health care workers. The page does not name Cole-Hamilton.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text. His own health care statement is listed separately above.
What still needs checking
Does Cole-Hamilton name a health care measure for the Comox Valley during the campaign?
The BC NDP platform page says the party is doubling skilled trades training by 2028-29 and sets a goal of $200 billion in major project investment by 2035. The page does not name Cole-Hamilton.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text. His own statement on jobs is listed separately above.
What still needs checking
Does Cole-Hamilton name an economic measure for the district during the campaign?
The BC NDP platform page says the party is on track to protect 30 percent of B.C. by 2030. The page does not name Cole-Hamilton.
Evidence & next checks
Evidence reviewed
Party text. The Comox Valley Record says he is focused on protecting the environment, in the reporter's words. voche.me found no statement in his own words on climate or the environment.
What still needs checking
Does Cole-Hamilton name a climate, flood or forest measure during the campaign?
His public roles are on the City of Courtenay and Comox Valley Regional District records. The one dated action is a regional district decision and earns no score on the provincial issues.
Approved by the regional district board
Regional district board approves the Comox Valley Housing Authority
The Comox Valley Regional District board approved forming the Comox Valley Housing Authority, a regional district company to help build non-market rental homes, and told staff to ask the Province's Inspector of Municipalities for approval. The minutes list Cole-Hamilton as chair of the meeting. In the regional district's release, quoted by the Comox Valley Record and CHEK News, he spoke for the authority as board chair.
Scope, limits and sources
The minutes name Directors Doug Hillian and Wendy Morin as the mover and seconder, record the motion as carried, and record no names for or against. The BC NDP page says he led the creation of the authority; voche.me has not confirmed that description. This is a regional district action, so it earns no score on the provincial issues.
Read original statements and reporting, or open the publisher’s video. A summary of a speech is labelled separately from a full recording.
Interview
Interview on moving from city to provincial politics
Told CHEK News he withdrew from the Courtenay council race after the election call, that the previous night was his last council meeting, and that he supports the early election call.
In the announcement printed by the Comox Valley Record, he said he is running to build a stronger future for families in the Comox Valley, and that the province needs to protect good jobs, strengthen health care and grow the economy.
Told the Comox Valley Record that communities near military bases need a way to plan for defence spending growth, and that housing, parks, recreation and ways for military spouses to get to work matter as much as water and sewer capacity.
As regional district board chair, invited people with housing, finance and legal expertise to apply to the first board of the Comox Valley Housing Authority.
As board chair, said in a regional district release that housing costs are a critical issue in the region, and that the authority can help prepare housing projects that are ready for federal and provincial funding.
Records are labelled by type, including official findings, civil proceedings and political disputes where applicable. Each entry identifies the response found in the sources and the latest status verified for this page.
No reviewed entries have been added to this section yet. This is a research gap, not a finding about the candidate.
News coverage / Original publishers
Read the reporting
A dated reading list from independent publishers. The headings below are voche.me summaries; follow each link for the original article, context and any corrections.
Video report
CHEK News · Dean Stoltz
Making the change from municipal to provincial politics
Reports on two local politicians running for the legislature, including his switch from the council race to Courtenay-Comox.
Sources checked October 2, 2026. Official records establish decisions; campaign material establishes stated positions; reporting adds investigation and context. None alone establishes every claim.
The BC NDP's announcement of his candidacy was not on the party's releases page on 2026-10-02, so his words were read only as the Comox Valley Record printed them. The party's team page loads its names with a script, so a direct read shows no entry for him. His website, willcolehamilton.ca, still shows his 2026 Courtenay council campaign, which he says he left; its claims are about city work and were not used as facts. His Facebook pages sit behind a login and were not read. Courtenay council minutes were not searched for his motions or votes, and regional district minutes were read only for December 9, 2025. His education, law work, small business and his role as chair of Help Cities Lead come from the party, his own campaign texts or reporting based on them; voche.me has not checked them with the school, the Law Society or any business registry. The 2018 and 2022 Courtenay vote counts were not read in an official results document. No all-candidates meeting for Courtenay-Comox, campaign finances or endorsements were found on this date. Nominations close October 3, 2026, so other candidates may still be added. The questionnaire has not been sent.
Research status
What voche.me has checked
Evidence reviewed on 2026-10-02: the Elections BC candidate list and election dates, the 2024 statement of votes, his BC NDP candidate page, the party's team, releases and platform pages, his 2026 council campaign website, the City of Courtenay council page, the Comox Valley Regional District board page and its minutes of December 9, 2025, and reporting from the Comox Valley Record and CHEK News.
His 2026 commitments come from his words in the party's announcement as printed by the Comox Valley Record. The party platform entries below are the BC NDP's own text, and none of it names him. An empty section records what voche.me did not find on this date.
03 / Background
Experience & community
2018 to 2026
Councillor, City of Courtenay
Listed as a councillor on the City's council page on 2026-10-02. CHEK News calls him a two-term councillor. He told CHEK his last council meeting was in September 2026.
Proposed questions for a future interview. They have not been sent to the candidate, and no answers have been supplied.
Which health care service would you ask the Province to add or expand in the Comox Valley, and by when?
No response has been submitted.
How many non-market homes would you want the Province to help build in Courtenay-Comox in the next four years?
No response has been submitted.
What should the Province do to prepare the Comox Valley for growth at CFB Comox?
No response has been submitted.
Have your own question?
Ask Will Cole-Hamilton directly. We send it to the campaign, and publish the reply here if we get one.
05 / About this page
Questions about this page
Facts voche.me can state about Will Cole-Hamilton's page itself, answered directly rather than left blank.
Is this an official page for Will Cole-Hamilton?
No. This page is researched by voche.me from public sources, listed below, and is separate from Will Cole-Hamilton's own campaign.
What party is Will Cole-Hamilton running with?
Will Cole-Hamilton is running for MLA with BC NDP.
Does Will Cole-Hamilton currently hold public office?
Yes. Will Cole-Hamilton currently serves as Councillor, City of Courtenay, and Chair of the Comox Valley Regional District board.
How many sources does this Will Cole-Hamilton profile cite?
This profile lists 8 sourced references, each with the date voche.me checked it, in the Sources section below.
Why do some questions on Will Cole-Hamilton's page show no answer?
The "Questions & answers" section on this page lists questions voche.me would put to Will Cole-Hamilton in a future interview. They have not been sent yet, so the page says plainly that no answer has been supplied instead of leaving the section blank.
When is the election Will Cole-Hamilton is running in?
The 2026 British Columbia election, including the MLA race, is decided on October 24, 2026.
06 / Candidate contributions
Space for campaign updates
No campaign updates yet
Announcements, event details and messages can be added here, with their source and publication date. No campaign submission has been added.
