Meet Your Candidate: Eric Balac

Village Resident seeks Council seat

Editor's Note: The Watershed has contacted all the current candidates running in the upcoming Municipal Election to give them the opportunity to answer a few questions. All the candidates were offered the same questions (apart from those which differ to reflect the experience of candidates who have not held office before). Responses have been edited for brevity, style and clarity. 

Council Candidate Eric Balac. Submitted photo.

Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself? How long have you lived in the Village? What's your favourite part of living here?

I’m Eric Balac, and I’m running for Lions Bay Council because I care deeply about this community and want to contribute to its future.

I’ve lived in Lions Bay for six years, and what I love most about living here is the combination of natural beauty and community. We have an extraordinary setting between the mountains and Howe Sound, but what makes Lions Bay special to me are the people. It is a place where neighbours still know each other, people step forward to help, and residents genuinely care about protecting the community we have built.

I want Lions Bay to remain a great place to live while also making sure that we deal realistically with the challenges that come with living in such a beautiful and geographically constrained community.

You have never held the position of Councillor before. What made you step forward to take the job on now?

I think Lions Bay needs people who are prepared to step forward and work constructively. I’m not running because I believe I have all the answers. I’m running because I believe I can bring a practical, respectful and common-sense approach to the Council table. I want to listen to residents, understand the facts, work with staff and other Councillors, and then make decisions based on what is best for the Village as a whole.

The last term demonstrated how damaging division and distrust can be for a small municipality. A provincial municipal advisor described Lions Bay as exceptionally politically polarized and publicly divided, and emphasized the importance of respectful political processes and rebuilding trust.

I believe the Village would benefit from a fresh perspective and from councillors who are willing to work together rather than spend their energy fighting with each other.

How many Council meetings have you attended in person or online?

I don’t feel like the exact number of council meetings I have attended is important. The time I have spent in the village and at the meetings has shown a communication breakdown. We can do better.

I have made a point of following Council because I believe that anyone seeking a seat at the table should understand the issues facing the Village and how Council actually operates. I’ve also found the public record valuable because Lions Bay has had some very complicated issues over the past several years — from infrastructure and finances to parking, development, emergency preparedness and governance.

Have you volunteered for a Village committee or event? What other volunteer experience do you have?

Yes. I volunteered as part of the team supporting the Village's events committee.

I believe volunteering is one of the most important parts of living in a small community. Municipal government isn't just about elected officials — it depends heavily on residents who are willing to contribute their time and skills.

I’ve always believed that if you want your community to be better, you should be prepared to contribute to it.

Should you win your seat, what is the most important challenge facing the Village in the upcoming term?

The biggest challenge is getting our long-term financial and infrastructure needs under control while maintaining the character and affordability of the community.

Lions Bay has ageing infrastructure and a relatively small tax base. Council has been told that major infrastructure assets are approaching the end of their service lives and that these costs need to be planned for well in advance.

At the same time, we have to rebuild public confidence in the way decisions are made.

Those two things are connected. Residents need to know where their money is going, why projects are being prioritized, what they will cost and what the long-term plan is.

The most recent term of Council was divided to the point of dysfunction. Do you have any thoughts for a positive change?

Absolutely. I think the first step is recognizing that Council is a team. Councillors can disagree — and they should sometimes disagree — but disagreement cannot become personal conflict.

My approach would be to focus on respectful debate, evidence-based decisions and clearly defined roles for Council and staff. I would also like to see less politics and more preparation. Councillors should receive the information they need, ask questions, listen to residents and staff, and then make a decision. Once a decision has been made, Council needs to move forward and get the work done.

We don't have the luxury of spending years arguing with each other. Lions Bay is too small, and the issues are too important.

In the last term, Financial Officer Joe Chirkoff noted that the Village faces at least $10 million in pending infrastructure upgrades not covered by grant money. How would you prioritize these projects?

I would start with three criteria: safety, essential services and the consequences of doing nothing. First would be infrastructure where failure could put residents at risk — water systems, roads, bridges, drainage, fire protection and other critical infrastructure.

Second would be infrastructure essential to maintaining basic municipal services.

Third would be projects where delaying the work would significantly increase the eventual cost.

I would want Council to maintain a transparent, multi-year infrastructure priority list showing the estimated cost, condition of the asset, risk of failure, available grants and the Village's share of the cost.

We also need to aggressively pursue senior-government funding. Every dollar of outside funding we can obtain is one less dollar that has to come directly from Lions Bay taxpayers. But grants shouldn't determine our priorities. We should determine our priorities based on risk and need, and then pursue grants that help us accomplish them.

What strengths do you bring to the Council table?

I bring a willingness to listen, a practical approach to problem-solving and an ability to look at an issue without starting from a predetermined political position.

I also think one of my strengths is that I am comfortable asking questions. Municipal decisions can be complicated, and I don't think councillors should be embarrassed to say, "I need more information before I vote."

I want to understand the numbers, understand the regulations, hear from residents and staff, and then make a decision.

Most importantly, I bring a willingness to work with people who don't necessarily agree with me, knowing that we ultimately need a solution to the problem at hand.

The recent clear-cutting of a private property on Oceanview Road has prompted a petition and a public outcry. Would you support the creation of bylaws addressing tree-cutting, protection of riparian boundaries and steep slopes?

Yes, I would support examining stronger bylaws in this area.

The recent situation at 250 Oceanview Road has demonstrated why this deserves serious attention. Residents raised concerns after more than 200 trees were reportedly removed from a steep property adjacent to Rundle Creek, and a petition was brought forward asking Council to address the environmental and slope-stability concerns.

I don't believe the answer is simply to prohibit development. Private property rights matter, but so do public safety, environmental protection and the protection of neighbouring properties and municipal infrastructure.

I would support having qualified professionals determine what standards are appropriate for steep slopes, riparian areas and significant tree removal, and then developing bylaws that are clear, enforceable and legally defensible. The key is getting the rules in place before a problem occurs rather than trying to deal with the consequences afterward.

Many residents along Mountain, Sunset and Bayview have expressed frustration with the vast increase in hiker vehicle parking and traffic. Suggestions have been made to offer alternate parking in the gravel pit or elsewhere on Crown land. How would you respond to resident concerns?

I think residents are right to be concerned. Lions Bay has become a gateway to some extremely popular hiking trails, but our residential roads were never designed to accommodate large numbers of vehicles associated with regional recreation.

This has been an ongoing issue for several years. Vehicles crowding onto Mountain, Sunset, Bayview and other streets, including concerns about blocked driveways, hydrants and resident-only parking.

The Village has already created paid parking in several locations, including the Sunset Trailhead, Mountain Drive and Bayview, but demand continues to put pressure on the neighbourhood.

I would support looking seriously at additional parking outside the residential neighbourhood, including whether Crown land or other appropriate locations could be used. But I would want the Village to work with the Province and other agencies before promising that a particular site is available.

At the same time, we should continue encouraging transit and better communication with hikers about legal parking. Better education on the trail from the school to the trailhead should be a focus of this project also to avoid having hikers walking on roadways in large groups. 

The goal shouldn't be to prevent people from enjoying the trails. The goal should be to make sure regional recreation doesn't come at the expense of the safety, access and quality of life of Lions Bay residents.

The recent trial of public porta-potties positioned near the Village centre has produced calls of concern regarding smell and garbage from nearby homeowners. This is balanced against hard evidence that visitors are relieving themselves on our local streets. Do you have any thoughts to share?

I think both sides of this issue deserve to be taken seriously. Nobody wants poorly maintained porta-potties beside their home, and residents who live nearby shouldn't have to accept unreasonable impacts. At the same time, we can't pretend that the problem doesn't exist.

The Village has limited public washroom facilities, while Lions Bay receives large numbers of visitors during the summer. The Village itself notes that washroom facilities are limited and that Brunswick Beach is unserviced.

Council's 2026 discussion recognized the need for seasonal public facilities, and four portable toilets were proposed near the Village centre.

I would support treating this as a practical pilot rather than an ideological issue. If the location is causing unacceptable impacts, let's modify the location, screening, servicing schedule or operating season. But I don't think the answer is simply to remove the toilets and send the problem somewhere else. We need a permanent solution that is respectful to the residents who live nearby and realistic about the number of visitors using our community.

What else would you like to share with residents today? Where can they reach you? Do you have a website where voters can read your platform online?

I would simply say that I'm putting my name forward because I care about Lions Bay and I believe I can contribute positively to the community.

I don't think municipal politics needs to be as divisive as it has become. We can disagree without being disagreeable, we can debate issues without attacking each other, and we can make decisions based on facts rather than personalities.

I want to see Council concentrate on the fundamentals: infrastructure, financial responsibility, emergency preparedness, responsible development, parking and traffic management, environmental protection and maintaining the quality of life that makes Lions Bay such a special place.

Most importantly, I want residents to feel that their Council is listening to them.

Residents can learn more about my campaign, my priorities and my platform at ericbalac.ca. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to participate in our local government. Whether we agree on every issue or not, I believe Lions Bay is stronger when residents are engaged and willing to work together.

The Watershed welcomes your thoughts.

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or email us at editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca 

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