Darlene Rotchford was elected MLA for Esquimalt-Colwood in 2024.

Darlene was appointed the Parliamentary Secretary for Armed Forces Development and Veterans Affairs in November 2025. She is also the government’s Military Liaison.

Darlene has a background of active involvement and leadership in the labour movement, including serving in various elected roles on the Victoria Labour Council's executive committee, most recently as the President of the Victoria Labour Council from 2020 to 2023. She was also an active member in the British Columbia General Employee’s Union (BCGEU), where she served as a representative for the Community Health Component for South Vancouver Island.

At the provincial level, she has previously served on the BCGEU Provincial Executive Women’s Committee, Young Workers Committee, and Environment Committee. She was also involved as a member of the British Columbia Federation of Labour Executive Council and served as the Pacific Region Labour Representative on the Canadian Council of that Canadian Labour Congress.

In her professional career, Darlene has accumulated over 18 years of experience working in the field of mental health and addictions in Greater Victoria.

Before being elected to the Legislative Assembly, Darlene sat as Councillor from 2022-2024 on the Township of Esquimalt Council, contributing to local governance.

Darlene is a military wife to her husband Joey and a mother to her daughters Evie and Josephine.

With over 15 years of experience in real estate and urban planning, Luke leads Aryze’s development team with equal parts strategy, curiosity, and caffeine. Before joining Aryze, he served as a Director of Planning and Approving Officer for a local municipality. Committed to data-informed development, Luke champions diverse housing options in every neighbourhood and guides the Aryze team in delivering innovative, thoughtful urban infill projects across the region.

For over 40 years, Tracy has been a trusted leader in the Canadian anti-violence field addressing gender-based violence in communities, workplaces and families, creating services for survivors, developing policy and best practices for responders, and contributing to legislative advancement and cross-sectoral training and collaboration.  

Tracy founded and for 30 years, led the Ending Violence Association of BC, a dynamic, solutions-based provincial association that trains and supports over 300 anti-violence programs and cross sector/cross cultural initiatives across the province; founded and led the Ending Violence Association of Canada, a national organization whose main purpose is to educate and respond to gender-based violence at the national level; co-created and co-launched the ground-breaking, award winning Be More Than a Bystander: Break the Silence on Gender-Based Violence campaign, first with the BC Lions Football Club, then in partnership with numerous labour unions, corporations and gov’ts, training men to speak up and lead culture change in male dominated workplaces; co-developed the Canadian Football League’s (CFL) national policy on gender-based violence and continues to work for them as their Gender-Based Violence Critical Incident Consultant; and sits on various boards and advisory committees assisting on related issues towards safer workplaces and communities.  

Tracy has provided advise and analysis to all levels of government in BC, across Canada and has been called upon to meet with delegations of gov’ts across the world including Paraguay, China, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand and Denmark.  

Mary Clare Massicotte is the Manager of Community Safety and Social Development for the City of Port Alberni, where she champions innovative, integrated approaches to complex social challenges. Her leadership bridges municipal policy, community development, and frontline services to create systems that are responsive, equitable, and sustainable. 

A recent example is the Neighbourhood Mitigation Strategy, a forward-thinking, place-based model that reimagines how communities collaborate to address housing insecurity, mental health, and public safety. With over three decades in public service—including senior roles with Public Safety Canada, Health Canada, and Indigenous Services Canada—Mary Clare brings deep expertise in translating policy into practice through coordinated service delivery. 

Holding a Master of Education in Educational Leadership, she is a recognized advocate for systemic change and a thought leader in designing integrated service models that foster trust, accountability, and measurable impact. 

Adam has been a criminal prosecutor for approximately 17 years and is the President of the British Columbia Crown Counsel Association (BCCCA) as well as the Vice-President of the Canadian Association of Crown Counsel (CACC).  As a director and member of the executive of these Associations he has focused on maintaining prosecution strength communities, mental health and wellness for prosecutors, responsible governance, access to justice, and prosecutorial independence.  He is a strong proponent of prosecution exchange programs.  In 2017, he spearheaded the first mental health survey of prosecutors in British Columbia and Canada.  His prosecution practice is varied.  He is currently assigned to Vancouver Youth Court and a largely Indigenous circuit court on British Columbia’s Central Coast.  When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his twin sons, partner, and their 5 year old Chocolate Lab, Bourbon.   

Dr. Shelley Cook is the Executive Director of Community Social Planning Council of Greater Victoria, a long-standing nonprofit/charitable organization serving Greater Victoria for 90 years. Dr. Cook has extensive experience as a senior administrator in the nonprofit sector in BC and a community-based health and social science researcher working to understand and address the social determinants of health for marginalized populations. She has a keen interest in working at the intersection of government, academia, and the community to promote system change, build capacity in the nonprofit sector, and create a safer and healthier community for all.  

Julie-Ann Hunter is the Executive Director of the Victoria Youth Empowerment Society (YES), where she leads programs and partnerships that support vulnerable youth on their path to stability, wellness, and independence. A registered social worker with over 15 years’ experience in youth services, Julie-Ann combines frontline expertise with an MBA specializing in social enterprise to develop sustainable, community-driven solutions that allow youth to thrive. With a deep commitment to equity and collaboration, she works to strengthen services addressing housing, mental health, and safe third places for youth. Julie-Ann is passionate about creating opportunities for young people to be heard, valued, and empowered to build brighter futures.

Award-winning author and journalist, Grant McKenzie has been leading communications at Our Place Society for the last 12 years. A storyteller at heart, Grant brings compassion and empathy to everything he does, whether that’s writing, graphic design, photography, video creation, or leadership. During his tenure, Grant has communicated Our Place's growth to serving over 500,000 meals per year, housing over 500 individuals, and opening the first-of-its-kind long-term therapeutic recovery communities on Vancouver Island.

Dr. Ryan Herriot is a family physician and addiction medicine specialist based in Victoria, with additional training in the care of people living with HIV. He practices family medicine at Cool Aid Community Health Centre, is the medical director of AVI’s Victoria SAFER program, and sits on the board of the BC College of Family Physicians. In 2024 he co-founded the advocacy organization Doctors for Safer Drug Policy.  He formerly worked as a prison physician at Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Facility. 

He lives with his spouse and three kids, and he likes to cycle and to run a rousing game of Dungeons and Dragons in his “spare time.” 

Mark van Bakel is the Information Management Manager at the City of Victoria, bringing over two decades of experience to his role. Having successfully transitioned from a spatial data background (Geographic Information Systems) into IT management, Mark now focuses on key areas of information management within municipal government. His current responsibilities encompass Enterprise Content Management, Records and Archives Management, and Website Governance. Additionally, Mark is actively engaged in optimizing data-driven processes and supporting evidence-based decision-making, while exploring ways to leverage emerging AI capabilities.