Rob O’Toole reflects on his time as mayor as he seeks to return to council

Following this month’s election, Rob O’Toole will step down from his role as mayor of Sun Peaks, seeking instead to continue supporting the municipality as a councillor.

O’Toole was elected mayor in the April 2025 by-election following the passing of former mayor Al Raine, and previously served as a councillor since 2018. While he intended to run in this election, he told SPIN opting for a council seat will help balance his working and family life, while allowing him to continue some of the work he’s done over the last term.  

Additionally, O’Toole said he hopes his experience will help support Jason White as he transitions into the mayor’s position.

“There’s a lot of momentum going into this next four-year term, and I really wanted the opportunity to be at that table.”

Reflecting on his time as mayor

Looking back on his time in the mayor’s chair, O’Toole identified the BC Builds housing project as one of the municipality’s accomplishments he is most proud of. The project, which will bring 110 rental units to Sun Peaks, was particularly meaningful to O’Toole, who said it was something Raine hoped to see come to fruition. 

The additional housing will help address rental affordability and provide greater stability for residents looking to establish long-term roots in the community, O’Toole said.

Another accomplishment O’Toole highlighted was the municipality’s multi-year management agreement with Tourism Sun Peaks to oversee operations at the Sun Peaks Centre and arena. 

“We’re only a couple of years into that [agreement], but thus far, I think it’s been really successful for the community in helping to provide more festivals and animations and events, and helping to level out our economy a little bit, so it’s not so up and down winter through spring,” he said. “So I think that that was a big jewel in the crown.”

O’Toole also pointed to changes within the municipal administration, including new hires, internal promotions and updated policies and procedures. Much of the work completed over the past several years has focused on improving municipal operation and preparing for future growth, even if those changes are not immediately visible to residents, O’Toole said.

“For the last four years, this council and this administration have been building the foundation,” he said.

Despite these accomplishments, O’Toole acknowledged there have been challenges throughout his time as mayor.

He identified the cost overruns associated with the municipality’s freshwater pipeline project as one situation he would approach differently.

The experience prompted him to explore alternative approaches to infrastructure development, including meeting with representatives from the City of Kamloops to learn about its project management processes.

With several major infrastructure projects expected over the coming years, including wastewater expansion and water treatment improvements, he hopes the municipality can apply those lessons to avoid similar financial challenges.

Reopening the Sun Peaks Community Health Centre has also been challenging. O’Toole said he would have supported re-establishing the community-led health association earlier in the process, allowing the group to develop an alternative plan while negotiations with a potential operator were still underway. 

Looking ahead

If elected to council, O’Toole said he hopes to continue advocating for infrastructure improvements, affordable housing and changes to how resort municipalities are taxed.

One of his priorities is addressing what he describes as a “taxation imbalance” affecting resort communities such as Sun Peaks.

“When tourists are creating a load on the infrastructure, the money to pay for that load demand and build out the infrastructure should be coming directly or indirectly from the tourists,” he said. “It’s about balancing the scale so that everybody’s paying their share so that we have funding to pay for things like sewage expansion, water expansion, stuff like that.”

He hopes to work with other resort municipalities and the provincial government to explore changes to the taxation system, allowing more revenue to remain in the community to support local infrastructure.

O’Toole also hopes to continue the work of the Sun Peaks Housing Authority, including exploring opportunities for price-controlled home ownership alongside rental housing. The municipality has already begun preliminary discussions with BC Housing about potential future projects and hopes to see progress over the next four years, he said.

Beyond housing and infrastructure, O’Toole identified a permanent school building as another priority for the community, emphasizing that facilities such as schools, medical clinics, libraries and community spaces are essential to making Sun Peaks a desirable place for residents to establish long-term roots.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining strong relationships between the municipality, Tourism Sun Peaks and Sun Peaks Resort LLP as the community continues to grow.

“Every key major happening in the last 15 years since we’ve been a municipality, nobody’s done alone,” O’Toole said. “…It’s always been a collaborative effort.”

While his future on council will ultimately depend on the results of the election, O’Toole said he is optimistic about the municipality’s direction and the opportunities ahead. For now, he is looking forward to the possibility of continuing to serve Sun Peaks in a different capacity while making more time for life outside of municipal politics. 

“For the last four years, this council and this administration have been building the foundation, and you don’t necessarily see the fruits of the labour. It’s down in the ground, and now we’re at a place where we can start building up,” O’Toole said. “I just want people to remember that we’re all on this boat together.”