---
title: "Conservative candidate Bert Chen commits to $10 million for Crofton mill site water system"
description: "Bert Chen, the Conservative Party of BC candidate for Cowichan Valley, says he will work to secure up to $10 million to support revitalization of the former Crofton mill site, including a water system for the town."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/bert-chen-crofton-mill-water-october-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-20T00:00:13.348Z"
---

The Conservative Party of BC published a release on October 19, 2026 saying its candidate for Cowichan Valley, [Bert Chen](/bc/provincial-2026/candidates/bert-chen), committed to working to secure a funding commitment of up to $10 million to support the revitalization of the former Domtar mill site in Crofton. The party says the commitment is focused on building a municipally-owned water system for the town before the current water supply arrangement expires.

The party says the town of Crofton has been built around the mill since 1956, and that the infrastructure delivering drinking water to residents is part of the mill site and remains owned by Domtar. Domtar closed the mill in 2025, and the party says that closure has created uncertainty about whether residents will continue to receive clean drinking water. The party says Domtar's commitment to supply water to the community ends December 31, 2026.

The party says the Municipality of North Cowichan cannot fund a replacement water system on its own. According to the release, the municipality lost property tax revenue when the mill closed, and that loss means it cannot pay for an independent, municipally-owned system. Those figures come from the party's release, and it has not published a financial breakdown or cited a municipal budget document.

The release also says Chen committed to working to expand the BC Ferries terminal in Crofton to add waiting lanes. The party gives no dollar figure for that part of the commitment and does not name a funding source.

The $10 million figure is the upper end of a range the party describes as "up to $10 million." The release does not say what level of government would provide the funds, which BC ministry would administer them, or what the revitalization of the mill site would involve beyond the water system and the ferry terminal.

There is no response from the Municipality of North Cowichan or from Domtar in the party's release, and none was reported by an outlet at the time of writing.

Voters in Cowichan Valley can find advance voting and voting place information at the [Cowichan Valley district page](/bc/provincial-2026/races/mla/cowichan-valley). Voting day is October 24, 2026.

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