Councillor Ben Isitt

Neighbourhood Liaison

  • Oakland Community Association
  • Hillside-Quadra Neighbourhood Action Group

Regional Service and Civic Committees

Biography

Ben Isitt has served the public as a City Councillor and Regional Director since 2011.

An award-winning historian and legal scholar, Ben holds an LLB and PhDs in Law and History, and has taught history, international relations and labour studies at the University of Victoria and other institutions. He is the author of several books that challenge how we think about BC politics and local and global history, including From Victoria to Vladivostok: Canada's Siberian Expedition, 1917-19 (UBC Press) and Militant Minority: British Columbia Workers and the Rise of a New Left, 1948-1972 (University of Toronto Press).

Ben’s involvement in civic politics builds from grassroots volunteer work for social and ecological justice, in support of worker rights, climate action, Indigenous rights, non-violence,  the abolition of poverty and racism, and protection of forests and farmland. Ben’s research on housing, land use, forestry and public education reflect this community-based approach, as does his hands-on experience as a former Housing Support Worker with Victoria’s street community.

Ben lives in the Hillside-Quadra neighbourhood. He enjoys spending time with family in the outdoors and exploring diverse communities and cultures by rail transport and other low-carbon modes.