Will Victoria find favour with new B.C. government?

Bike lanes for Saanich. Affordable housing for Victoria. A new transit line on an old railway corridor.

The prospect of a new government with five MLAsfrom Greater Victoria, including the incoming premier, is raising hopes among some municipal leaders for more help with longstanding challenges.

In the 2013 provincial election, the victoriousBC Liberals were shut out of the seven seats in the Capital Region.

SaanichMayor Richard Atwellsaid while the Liberal government funded roads and bridges in the Lower Mainland and other regions,"I can't draw up a long list of what's been done on the Island."

Atwellacknowledged Premier Christy Clark's government did move on the long-awaited McKenzie overpass to ease the crowded commute to the Western Communities.

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Atwell said Saanich is hoping for provincial aid for its $12.5 million plan for cycling lanes on the busyShelbournecorridor. A smaller section of bike lane was turned down for funding before the election.

EsquimaltMayor Barb Desjardins, who ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the BC Liberals in May, said the lack of localMLAsin the outgoing Liberal governmenthas been an obstacle for Capital Region municipalities.

Despite the appointment of two cabinet ministers from middle and north Vancouver Island, Desjardins said, "there was no one that you could go to that would really understand the issues, because they're not here living it.

"The Malahat is much more than just a physical barrier."

Desjardins, who is also the Capital Regional District chair, said her priorities for provincial government support are comprehensive waste management,a review of the fragmented policing system among the region's municipalitiesand a plan for transit service along the E & N rail corridor.

Victoria City CouncillorGeoff YoungtoldOn the Island'sKhalilAkhtar the pledge to create more than 100,000 affordablehousing units across the province could help easeone of the capital city's toughest problems.

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Meanwhile,the modest-sounding promise of a $400 annual rebate for renters would have ameasurable economic impactin a city with a high tenant population, Young said.

"We can expect to see an injection of eightto 10 million dollars of purchasing power through that," he said.