2010 – New mayor to address community plan and short-term rentals
Winning a landslide victory over his mayoral opponent, Al Raine was elected as the new mayor of Sun Peaks garnering 283 votes. Gerald Allgaier had 40 votes.
Raine said it’s very humbling to see strong support from the voting public, not just for himself but for all the candidates.
“People know this is an important time and setting up a municipality is not all that easy,” Raine commented on how the election turned out. “Obviously people were looking to those who have a proven track record of dedicating their time and who have the experience.”
On his agenda for this term, Raine was focused on short-term rentals and creating a community plan with public input.
2010 – Mayor calls Discovery Centre’s opening a Sun Peaks defining moment
Raine celebrated the opening of the Discovery Centre for Balanced Education.
“I challenge the (Sun Peaks Education Society) to make this the best school in B.C.,” Raine said during his speech. “Community is really defined by the people and the efforts of the people. This is one of the defining moments of Sun Peaks as a community.”
2011 – Raine wins second term
Raine won a second term as mayor of Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM) with more than 95 per cent of the votes cast in his favour versus challenger Renate Kals.
Raine, who won on the platform of experience, leadership, commitment and track record noted throughout the campaign that “to be a great resort, we must be a great community.”
On the agenda for this term, Raine looked to gain funding for a community recreation centre and continue the work of his last term.
2014 – No votes to be taken for Sun Peaks elections
Due to lack of nominees for the 2014 elections, Sun Peaks residents did not turn out to the polls, something Raine wished was different.
“The perfect world would be a rotation of at least one position each time so that you could get some new people involved,” he said. “You could say the democratic process is best served when there are more people running, but if people are satisfied, then that’s fine too.”
“Obviously the community has some confidence in the present council, and that was one of the motivations for others not to run at this time,” he added.
It was during this election that four year terms were put into place for mayor and council.
The new, four-year terms, may have been a factor in discouraging nominations, based on feedback Raine received.
“I do believe the four year terms were a factor, and I’ve spoken to a number of councillors in other jurisdictions, and people were concerned about the four years. There are people who aren’t running again (elsewhere) because the four years was seen as too much for them.
“The big push for four-year-terms was from urban areas, where the cost of elections can run into the millions of dollars.”
Raine also reiterated that he intended to step down from the role of mayor in the future.
“At this point, my intention is that this will be the last term for me,” he said.
During this term, Raine wanted to focus on succession planning, encouraging community members to learn more about municipal politics.
“There are a lot of people who could attend council meetings and get a pretty good feel for what’s going on in the municipality and make for a very good councillor or even mayor in the future.”
2018 – Al Raine announces final mayoral run
Raine announced his candidacy for a fourth and final term in the fall of 2018.
During his years as mayor, Raine used his experience as a councillor on Whistler’s first council from 1975 to 1982 to provide expertise as SPMRM grows.
“I had some very practical experience to give to the community,” he said. “It looked like it would be a positive thing to have the first mayor be the only person who’s been to a council meeting.”
While his intention was for the 2014 election to be his last, he was disappointed to see no one else came forward. He also wanted to see some important projects to their finish. When SPMRM was chosen to receive federal funding for the Sun Peaks Centre he knew he would run for one more term.
“I think four years from now we will be in a very good place.”
“I really have this vision: we must be more than a winter resort, we must be more than skiing. We must diversify the economy for people working here. They need a job and enough tourism or other business to have employees stay over summer months. No one can live here as a young family without it. It’s more simple to keep year round staff than retrain every six months.”
For Raine there were a number of projects taking top priority, including the Sun Peaks Housing Authority, the Sun Peaks Centre and the health centre.
“We have to make Sun Peaks a liveable place for people who are year round residents in addition to part-time residents. We must be one of the most livable communities in the province.”
As for what keeps him putting his name forward?
“I like the people,” he said with a smile. “Have I skied on better slopes? Absolutely. I’m drawn to the good snow, but we have some great people. How many other communities could raise the money we have for the health centre? We built a school out of donations…there are always people stepping up.”
2022 – Al Raine announces mayoral candidacy
Despite his previous plans to retire, Raine ran for another term citing a need for continuity. Only one member of council planned to seek reelection and the province decided not to reappoint a councillor representing Sun Peaks Resort LLP (SPR).
“Having four new councillors is probably not the best situation,” Raine said. “I’ve had a number of people approach me and say ‘we’re concerned it’s too big of a change.’”
Some community members encouraged current council member Rob O’Toole to run for mayor. However, he decided to seek reelection as a councillor. Raine said this announcement is part of what made him put his name in the hat for mayor again.
“It’s important [for the mayor] to have some background and experience,” Raine said. “I think there’s some very good candidates going to run for council, so it’s an opportunity to get some new blood into the council but still maintain the experience from the previous years.”
2024 – Sun Peaks mayor Al Raine accepts a King Charles III Coronation Medal
Raine was awarded a King Charles III Coronation Medal on Sept. 10, 2024.
Todd Stone, MLA for Kamloops-South Thompson honoured Raine with a speech and presented him with the medal.
Commemorating the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III as king, this medal honours those who have made a significant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region or community.
Instrumental in putting Sun Peaks on the map as a tourism destination, Stone called Raine a “pioneer in tourism and resort development.”
Raine contributed to the development of B.C. resort communities such as Whistler and was integral in developing the political landscape of Sun Peaks.
“I accepted the award on behalf of the Sun Peaks community and it will hang on the wall in the municipal office with thanks to all those who contribute day in and day out to make us a great community,” Raine told SPIN in an email.
As part of his acceptance of the award, he wanted to mention the Sun Peaks Education Society raising over $2 million over 14 years, and the support from initial council members for a school in Sun Peaks, SPR and Mr. Okubo’s vision of a major ski area, ski club volunteers, the Rotary Club, the Taekwon-do Club and the Health Association, who raised over $1 million to build the clinic in town and $500,000 to equip Sun Peaks Health Centre.
“We are a ‘can do’ community, full of positive people who are willing to contribute to make Sun Peaks the best mountain community anywhere,” he said. “I had the distinct pleasure of leading the orchestra.”
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