The City of Colwood, British Columbia, is preparing to vote in April 2026 on whether to leave a group that lobbies for real estate developers. Councillor Ian Ward introduced the proposal in early March 2026 to stop the city from being part of the Urban Development Institute.
Colwood is currently the only city on Vancouver Island that is still a member of the group. This upcoming decision follows a move by the City of Langford, where council members voted 6-1 on March 23, 2026, to end their membership.
The institute is a registered lobby group that works for the interests of development and real estate companies. For the last four years, CRD Watch has encouraged local governments to stop using public money to pay for these types of lobby memberships.
If Mayor Doug Kobayashi and the council decide to leave, Colwood will be the eleventh local government in the area to do so. Other nearby communities, including Victoria and Sooke, have already left the group over the last few years.
