Not a shopping mall. Not a Langford. Nothing that buries the lake under concrete and traffic. The vision is a village that grows up slowly, carefully, and on its own terms. Small local shops and services that keep dollars circulating here. Trades and jobs that give young people a foothold. Walkable streets and lake connections that draw visitors to stay an extra day. Housing options that let grandparents live five minutes from their grandchildren.
Rural life is not just a lifestyle preference. It is a value system. And good design can reflect that.
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Youth and Young Adults
Local jobs, trades opportunities, and reasons to stay and build a life here rather than leave for the city.
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Growing Families
Services, schools, and community spaces that make Shawnigan a place where families can put down roots and thrive.
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Rural Character
Development that complements the lake, the land, and the lifestyle. Not bigger. Better.
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Local Economy
Small businesses, visitor traffic, and a village core that keeps money circulating in the community.
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Seniors
Services and housing options that let seniors stay close to family and community rather than being pushed out.
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Visitors
A village worth visiting, not just a lake worth driving past. More stays, more spending, more benefit to local business.
In the spring of 2019, a community speaker named Doug Griffiths came to Shawnigan Lake and gave a talk that lit a fire. Griffiths is the author of "13 Ways to Kill Your Community," a plain-talking book about why rural communities stagnate and how to turn that around. His message landed here, and it sparked a process called Think Shawnigan, a community-designed vision for what the village could become.
Watch his talk below. It is worth your time, and it will help you understand why this conversation matters so much right now.
This is the last draft of the original Shawnigan Lake Village Plan, completed in January 2020. It was built by the community, for the community. Download it, print it, and use it as a starting point to imagine what comes next.
What happened with Think Shawnigan (2019, 2020)?
In 2019, the CVRD sponsored a community design process called Think Shawnigan, bringing residents, business owners, and local stakeholders together to co-design a vision for the village core. A design charrette was held at the Shawnigan Lake Community Centre in October 2019, and the resulting Shawnigan Lake Village Plan was completed in January 2020.
The plan identified priorities including streetscape improvements, better lake connections, a mix of uses that would animate the village, and a stronger economic base. Some pieces were implemented, including new waterfront parkland and trail connections. But the larger vision never fully materialized.
The plan still exists. The community energy that created it still exists. And the need it was trying to address is bigger than ever. Think Shawnigan 2027? is about picking that thread back up and seeing it through.
You can read the original Shawnigan Lake Village Plan at cvrd.ca.
This is your community. What do you want it to look like?
This page is the start of a conversation that began in 2019. The goal is to bring residents, business owners, young people, families, and seniors back to the table to talk about what Shawnigan could become in the future.
Share this page, talk about it at the kitchen table or when out with your friends, as I'll be scheduling Town Halls in the future to hear your thoughts on what Shawnigan Lake can become.
