Editing Rob Fleming (section)

==Municipal politics==
While still at university, he stood as a candidate for [[Victoria City Council]] in the 1999 municipal elections as a member of the Victoria Civic Electors,<ref name="UVic201127"/> which ran a joint slate of seven candidates with the Green Party. Fleming finished third in voting, securing him a seat on the eight-member council.<ref name="GM050520"/><ref>{{cite news |first=Cindy |last=Harnett |title= Lowe sweeps to win |newspaper=[[Times-Colonist]] |location=[[Victoria, British Columbia]] |date= November 21, 1999 |page= A3}}</ref> He was re-elected councillor in 2002, this time receiving the second highest vote count.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2002-11-18|title=City of Victoria: Election 2002: Official Results |url=https://www.victoria.ca/assets/Departments/Legislative~Services/Documents/election-2002-results.pdf|access-date=2023-02-11|publisher=City of Victoria|language=en-CA}}</ref> He traveled to [[El Salvador]] in 2004, as part of a 13-member delegation of election observers to monitor the [[2004 Salvadoran presidential election|presidential election]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Malcolm |last=Curtis |title=El Salvador elections calm, says observer from Victoria |newspaper=[[Times-Colonist]] |location=[[Victoria, British Columbia]] |date= April 4, 2004 |page= B2}}</ref>

While on Victoria City Council, Fleming gained a reputation for being a "fiscally prudent democratic socialist".<ref>{{cite news |first=Cindy |last=Harnett |title= Backroom Boys: They're young, idealistic and worked the election from left, right and centre |newspaper=[[Times-Colonist]] |location=[[Victoria, British Columbia]] |date= November 29, 2000 |page= A5}}</ref> He supported the legalization of [[Secondary suites in Canada|secondary suites]],<ref>{{cite news |first=Cindy |last=Harnett |title=Poverty fight needs better strategies, experts say |newspaper=[[Times-Colonist]] |location=[[Victoria, British Columbia]] |date= March 6, 2000 |page= C3}}</ref> the construction of the [[Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre]] (but voted against the option to have it privately operated),<ref>{{cite news |first=Cindy |last=Harnett |title=Council gives green light to privately operated arena |newspaper=[[Times-Colonist]] |location=[[Victoria, British Columbia]] |date= December 14, 2001 |page= B3}}</ref> and amendments to bylaws to target aggressive panhandling.<ref>{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Cleverley |title=Panhandling bylaw change beaten |newspaper=[[Times-Colonist]] |location=[[Victoria, British Columbia]] |date= August 16, 2002 |page= C2}}</ref> As a director on the board of the [[Capital Regional District]] (CRD), Fleming was vice-chair of the CRD Housing Corporation where he advocated for an Affordable Housing Trust Fund.<ref>{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Cleverley |title=Voters could be polled on housing levy in election |newspaper=[[Times-Colonist]] |location=[[Victoria, British Columbia]] |date= April 24, 2003 |page= B4}}</ref> He sat on the [[Victoria Regional Transit System|Victoria Regional Transit Commission]] and has advocated for transit service expansion and [[light rail]] in [[Greater Victoria]]. He was a member of the [[Provincial Capital Commission]] and was the only member to vote against, due to concerns with the long-term lease agreement and risks involved, replacing the plant and animal conservatory Crystal Gardens with the multi-media tourist attraction, The B.C. Experience, which filed for bankruptcy protection three months after opening.<ref>{{cite news |first=Malcolm |last=Curtis |title=Councillor slams Garden decision |newspaper=[[Times-Colonist]] |location=[[Victoria, British Columbia]] |date= June 17, 2004 |page= B1}}</ref>