Empty planning office overlooking an industrial port landscape, representing questions about One Delta’s economic-development proposal.

Election 2026 · Public Record Review

One Delta Promises “Good Jobs” and Better Services — But Where Is the Plan?

A dedicated Economic Development Office could benefit Delta. One Delta has not published the costs, job targets, revenue projections or implementation details needed to test its campaign claims.

On September 11, 2026, One Delta posted a video titled “WATCH: One Delta will Establish Delta’s First Dedicated Economic Development Office.”

The post says Dylan Kruger and One Delta “will establish Delta’s first dedicated Economic Development Office to grow our local economy and help fund better services and infrastructure without new taxes, levies or fees on residents.”

That is not a new idea. Kruger made the same office a campaign pledge at the One Delta launch on May 28, 2026. He repeated it on September 3, 2026 in the slate’s “no new taxes, levies or fees” policy.

Economic development can benefit Delta. DCC Now is not arguing otherwise.

What the public record still does not show is a plan: an office budget, job targets, targeted industries, available employment land, or a municipal-revenue calculation that would fund better services and major infrastructure without new taxes, levies or fees.

Residents can weigh those claims before voting. They cannot independently verify them until the numbers are published.

Who controls Delta’s major employment centres?

Some of Delta’s largest economic assets and employment centres are not controlled by Delta City Council:

  • Deltaport operates on federal port lands under the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
  • BC Ferries — not the City of Delta — controls operations and hiring at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal.
  • Tsawwassen First Nation is a separate government with authority over development on its lands.
  • Private employers — not City Council — make their own hiring decisions.

City Council can promote Delta, set land-use policy, process development applications, provide municipal infrastructure and advocate for investment. It cannot direct those independent organizations to expand or to hire Delta residents.

Jobs located in Delta are also not necessarily jobs filled by Delta residents.

Where would the promised jobs come from?

As of September 12, 2026, One Delta has not identified:

  • any prospective investor or employer;
  • any available site where the proposed investment would occur;
  • any targeted industry;
  • any committed private investment;
  • the number or type of jobs expected;
  • when those jobs would be created;
  • how many would be available to Delta residents; or
  • how the resulting activity would generate enough municipal revenue to fund better services and major infrastructure.

Delta’s proximity to the United States and the Point Roberts border may be a geographic advantage. Geography alone does not create jobs, guarantee local hiring or produce municipal revenue.

Delta already performs economic-development functions

Delta already promotes its industrial lands and major industries, provides information to businesses, works with local business associations, supports tourism and filming, and processes commercial and industrial development applications.

Calling the proposal “Delta’s first dedicated Economic Development Office” may mean creating a separate administrative office with that name.

It should not be read as meaning Delta currently does no economic-development work.

That is why it matters whether the new office would add new services and measurable results — or move existing City work and existing employees under a new sign.

Questions for Dylan Kruger and One Delta

DCC Now is asking One Delta to put the following on the record. Any substantive written reply will be published fairly, in full or by accurate summary.

  1. What would the new office cost annually, including salaries, employee benefits, consultants, marketing and administrative expenses?
  2. How many new City positions would be created?
  3. Would existing City employees and economic-development responsibilities be transferred into the new office, or would it add another administrative layer?
  4. What entirely new services would the office provide that existing City departments do not currently provide?
  5. Which particular industries, investors and employers would the office target?
  6. Where would the new businesses be located, and how much suitable employment land is presently available?
  7. Has One Delta received any expressions of interest from prospective investors or employers?
  8. How many jobs does One Delta project would be created, and over what period?
  9. What does One Delta mean by “good jobs” — full-time employment, particular wage levels, benefits, or particular occupations?
  10. How many of the projected jobs are expected to be filled by Delta residents?
  11. How much additional municipal property-tax revenue does One Delta project?
  12. In what year would the additional revenue exceed the office’s annual operating costs?
  13. What financial calculation supports the claim that growth from this office would help fund better services and infrastructure without new taxes, levies or fees?
  14. How would the projected revenue contribute to major infrastructure — including a proposed North Delta recreation centre that City staff have placed in the range of approximately $150 million to $300 million?

A proposal is not yet a financial plan

A dedicated Economic Development Office may prove worthwhile. DCC Now is not suggesting otherwise.

Establishing and operating the office would initially require public funding. New jobs do not automatically produce municipal revenue. The City cannot guarantee that jobs located in Delta will be filled by Delta residents.

Additional municipal revenue would depend principally on measurable growth in taxable commercial and industrial property.

That growth can also produce additional public costs — roads, water, sewer, drainage, transportation improvements, fire protection, policing and other municipal infrastructure and services.

Those costs have to be counted when anyone calculates the net financial benefit to Delta.

Until One Delta publishes an office budget, targeted industries, available employment locations, job estimates, municipal revenue projections and an implementation timeline, statements about creating good jobs and financing better services remain election commitments that cannot be independently verified.

Editorial note

DCC Now does not endorse candidates or slates. This review compares One Delta’s published statements with what is not yet on the public record. One Delta is invited to answer the questions above. A substantive response will be published.

Related DCC Now reviews: No new taxes, levies or fees — and a North Delta rec centre. Where’s the funding plan? and A North Delta rec centre is being proposed. Here’s what the record shows.

Sources

  • One Delta, “WATCH: One Delta will Establish Delta’s First Dedicated Economic Development Office,” Sept. 11, 2026. onedelta.ca
  • One Delta, “Dylan Kruger Launches One Delta Campaign For Mayor,” May 28, 2026. onedelta.ca
  • One Delta, “POLICY: No New Taxes, Levies, or Fees,” Sept. 3, 2026. onedelta.ca
  • One Delta council platform, “What We Believe.” onedelta.ca
  • City of Delta staff, North Delta Facility Feasibility Study phase one, reported June 2026: comparable-project cost range $150 million to $300 million. Coverage: North Delta Reporter
Sarbjot Singh Locham
Resident & Editor, DCC Now – Delta Community Concerns
info@dccnow.com · dccnow.com
Independent Community Reporting · Public Records · Transparency · Accountability
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