10/17/2026
Normally, I do not post politics on the TYDEL FOODS page. This page has always been about community, helping people, supporting seniors and families, and trying to do what is right. But there are moments when staying silent can feel like accepting something that should not be accepted.
What I am seeing in this mayoral campaign feels, to me, like bullying and character assassination. Politics should never become a licence to tear another human being apart.
Disagree with someone’s record. Challenge their decisions. Debate their policies. But when it crosses into personal destruction, unproven accusations and attempts to damage someone’s character, I believe somebody has to say enough.
What we allow - will continue. And if we only stand up for what is right when it is comfortable or convenient, then when do we stand up at all?
Just because it is politics does not make another person’s reputation, dignity, or humanity fair game.
I have not agreed with every decision Jason Lum has made over the years. But throughout this campaign, I have watched him respond to what I would call character vandalism with restraint, integrity, and class. That tells me something about the kind of person he is.
And that is why I feel compelled to speak up.
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BEFORE YOU VOTE FOR MAYOR OF CHILLIWACK, PLEASE LOOK PAST THE PARTY LABEL
I WILL BE voting for JASON LUM for Mayor of Chilliwack.
What has bothered me most about this campaign is not that Martina Rosini disagrees with Jason. Candidates should disagree. Challenge his votes, challenge his policies, challenge his decisions, that is what elections are for.
But when serious accusations are made about someone’s integrity, there should be evidence behind them.
Some of the allegations made against Jason have been publicly described as unsubstantiated and I think voters need to be very careful not to treat allegations as proven facts simply because they appear in a campaign ad or political statement.
If you are going to attack someone who has served this community for approximately 15 years, then show the evidence.
But there is another issue that I believe is just as important:
THE PROMISED 10% PROPERTY-TAX CUT.
Chilliwack’s 2026 financial plan projects approximately $122.9 million in property-tax revenue.
A 10% reduction represents roughly:
$12.3 MILLION A YEAR.
That is not pocket change.
For perspective, Chilliwack’s entire annual fire-services budget is roughly $15 million.
Parks and greenspace maintenance is around $7.3 million.
Libraries are around $5 million.
And policing, public safety and related services represent tens of millions of dollars every year.
I am not saying Martina Rosini plans to eliminate those services.
I am asking a very simple question:
WHERE DOES THE $12.3 MILLION COME FROM?
If police and firefighters are not being cut and her campaign says she wants to support them more, then what is being reduced?
Roads?
Parks?
Recreation?
Libraries?
Infrastructure?
Staff?
Will projects be delayed?
Will reserves be used?
Will other fees increase?
Will the City borrow?
If you are promising Chilliwack families a 10% tax cut, then please give us more than a slogan.
Show us the budget.
And this is where I have an even bigger concern.
People are hurting right now.
Families are struggling with groceries, mortgages, rent, jobs and the general cost of living. Some people are genuinely afraid of losing their homes. Some are worried about how they are going to feed their families.
So of course a promise of a major tax cut sounds appealing.
But when people are financially scared, politicians have an even greater responsibility to be completely transparent.
My concern is that a promise like this can become emotionally powerful because it tells struggling families exactly what they desperately want to hear - relief.
But relief still has to be paid for.
If the savings can truly be found without cutting police, fire, roads, parks, libraries, recreation or infrastructure, then show Chilliwack exactly how.
Put the numbers on the table.
Show us the $12.3 million.
Because using people’s financial fear as part of a campaign message, without clearly explaining the consequences of the promise, is something voters should think very carefully about.
Families who are struggling deserve more than a political slogan.
THEY DESERVE THE TRUTH!
And please remember something else:
THIS IS NOT A PROVINCIAL OR FEDERAL ELECTION.
This is Chilliwack City politics.
We are not electing the Premier.
We are not electing the Prime Minister.
We are choosing the person who will lead our City Hall.
I know many people in Chilliwack lean Conservative and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But please do not vote for somebody simply because the word Conservative appears beside their name.
Look at the person.
Look at their experience.
Look at their connection to Chilliwack.
Look at how they treat people.
Look at whether their promises actually add up.
Jason Lum has served on Chilliwack City Council since 2011.
Martina Rosini has no previous elected municipal office and has been reported as a Surrey resident.
That does not mean she cannot run.
But I believe Chilliwack voters have every right to ask:
What has she actually done in this community before asking us to make her Mayor?
What local organizations has she served?
What Chilliwack issues has she spent years working on?
What municipal experience does she bring?
What history does she have with the people she now wants to govern?
Those are not personal attacks.
Those are legitimate questions for someone applying for the biggest job at City Hall.
And I also believe the tone of this campaign matters.
If someone comes into a community and immediately starts attacking the character and integrity of someone who has served here for 15 years, voters should pay attention to that.
Leadership is not just about what you promise.
It is also about how you behave when you are trying to win.
I have not agreed with every decision Jason Lum has made over the years and I don’t expect to agree with any elected official on everything. But this campaign has shown me something much more important than policy differences
It has shown me character. What I have watched directed at Jason feels less like political debate and more like character vandalism: trying to damage a person’s reputation instead of simply challenging their record. And through all of it, Jason has carried himself with restraint, integrity and class. That matters to me.
Leadership is revealed not only in the decisions someone makes, but in how they conduct themselves when they are under attack. In this campaign, Jason Lum has shown me who he is.
Question him.
Challenge him.
Hold him accountable.
But do it with facts.
Do it fairly.
And if you are making serious accusations against him, prove them.
This community does not need provincial-style attack politics brought into City Hall.
We need people who can work together after the election is over.
We need people who understand Chilliwack.
We need people who understand municipal budgets, infrastructure, policing, fire protection, homelessness, development and the realities of running a growing city.
That is why I will be voting for Jason Lum.
Not because of a party label.
Not because I think he is perfect.
But because I believe experience matters.
Community connection matters.
Accountability matters.
And responsible budgeting matters.
Before you vote, please ask yourself two questions:
Where is the evidence behind the attacks?
And where is the $12.3 million coming from?
Those are questions every Chilliwack voter deserves answers to.
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Being Conservative should not mean tearing someone down with personal attacks, unproven accusations, or fear-based messaging. It should mean accountability, responsibility, honesty and respect for the people we serve.
This is municipal politics. Chilliwack deserves better than imported partisan fighting and character attacks.
I can support conservative values and still say that this kind of behaviour is unsettling, unnecessary and damaging to the Conservative name.
In fact, I think Conservatives should be the first ones to call it out when it happens.
A party label does not excuse poor behaviour. If anything, it should raise the standard. And for me, this campaign has done the opposite.
PLEASE 🙏 VOTE FOR JASON LUM FOR MAYOR OF CHILLIWACK
