To replace the vacated seat left by acclaimed mayor Rob O’Toole, four candidates ran for a spot on the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality (SPMRM) council in the April 5 by-election.

Brian Gillespie received the most support with 120 votes, followed by Dave Burnham with 113 votes, Katherine Campbell with 49 votes and Alice Muirhead with 37 votes.

“I’d like to start by thanking the other candidates for stepping up and putting themselves out there,” councillor-elect Gillespie told SPIN via email. “It takes courage and commitment to run, and I’m confident each of them will continue to be active and engaged members of our community. I look forward to hearing their insights in the month [and] years to come.”

In addition to the other candidates, Gillespie also thanked members of the community who shared ideas, concerns and hopes for Sun Peaks during his campaign. 

“These conversations are what shape a stronger, more connected community, and I’m grateful for every perspective that was shared…your passion and participation are what make this place so special — and why there truly are no limits to what we can achieve together.”

As he steps into his new role, Gillespie said he’s excited and “committed to working hard, listening closely and making thoughtful decisions that reflect the values and vision of Sun Peaks.”

Prior to election day, SPIN hosted an all-candidate forum on March 24, during which all candidates responded to questions taken from a community survey, as well as from the public at the forum. 

As the winner of the open seat, below are Gillespie’s responses, as well as an introduction. The italicized and bolded text indicates the question was asked by SPIN or the public. 

Meet councillor Brian Gillespie

My Sun Peaks journey began in 2007, starting in lift operations and retail before focusing on my career in hospitality at Bottoms Bar & Grill. Today, as the general manager and a partner, I am deeply committed to the community and its growth.  Over the years, I have developed strong relationships with local businesses, residents and community organizations. My experience navigating challenges like economic fluctuations, tourism sustainability and workforce housing has given me valuable insight into the needs of our municipality. I am committed to ensuring responsible growth, financial stability, and a thriving year-round community.

What are the top issues you feel Sun Peaks needs to address at the municipal level?

[First] Ensuring we have sustainable water management to support continued growth. [Second ]Developing housing solutions that support the needs of Sun Peaks’ workforce and long-term residents, ensuring sustainable growth for the community. [Third] Strengthening tourism revenue streams while securing long-term financial partnerships with the Secwépemc bands.  [Lastly,] implementing regular audits of third-party service providers and fostering better communication with residents.

What type of impact do you hope to have as councillor?

I want to bring clear communication, responsible decision-making and a collaborative approach to council. My experience managing a business in Sun Peaks has taught me the importance of financial responsibility, strategic planning and community engagement. I aim to contribute by ensuring that growth is sustainable, infrastructure investments are prioritized and municipal decisions reflect the needs of both residents and businesses.

All-candidate forum recap

Many residents and business owners struggle to find or provide affordable housing in Sun Peaks. The Sun Peaks Housing Authority has been in existence for over six years, and Sun Peaks is also set to benefit from the Housing Accelerator Fund to help create housing. What is your current understanding of these programs, and how would you use them, or other efforts to help increase the supply of housing in Sun Peaks?

“The project we have and we will go forward with is really positive,” Gillespie said about the BC Builds project. “But it’s definitely not the catch-all answer to our housing, long term, short term, or anything like that.”

As a business owner, he said many businesses including his own rent out accommodation to staff to get ahead of housing shortages.

“These are solutions that forward thinking has brought us to.”

Our current short-term rental (STR) policy using temporary use permits (TUP) in residentially zoned areas has been in place for many years, with some residents arguing that the current arrangement is applied inconsistently or negatively, affecting property values and even future tourism development. What do you think of our current municipal short-term rental policies and how would you revisit these?

Clear data obtained with the help of the third party consultant SPMRM will be hiring for an STR review in the  spring is a positive step toward answering questions on this issue, Gillespie said, including “Are we using the ones that we have zoned for? Are we clustering the Temporary Use Permits in neighbourhoods, the 25 per cent allotment on neighborhoods, are they all being used effectively?”

Since the transfer of Sun Peaks Utilities from SPR to the municipality, there have been several phases of required infrastructure upgrades to both our water and wastewater systems. Most recently, in February council approved a 10 per cent increase to water and wastewater charges, following a 5.5 per cent municipal tax increase for municipal operations and capital assets. According to the director of finance, “The cost of supplying water is significantly higher than the cost of the water being consumed,” she said, explaining this is due to the maintaining and upgrading the infrastructure needed to ensure reliable and sustainable water. How do you plan to tackle this ongoing issue?

Education of “why we’re here” and around the current wastewater facility and necessary upgrades is what Gillespie identified as a key piece.

I don’t personally have an answer to you in regards to how we’re going to get out of it, outside of raising the appropriate funds via taxes,” he added. “It is not the prettiest picture to paint, but it is realistic.”

A current federal policy has limited or removed the ability for foreign buyers to purchase property in Sun Peaks, which has had a significant impact on real estate, development and the general economy of Sun Peaks. Many people want to see this ban amended to exclude Sun Peaks, similar to other resort communities in British Columbia. What are your plans for advocating for Sun Peaks regarding this current federal policy?

“I love the idea of the Lower Mainland helping our economy and buying houses and Sun Peaks was showcased incredibly well during the pandemic, we had a record amount of rubber tire traffic that came through from all over the province and Alberta. And unfortunately, even with that exposure, our housing market is pretty stagnant,” Gillespie said, highlighting the importance of foreign buyers.

Getting the community involved in lobbying would be valuable as well, he said.

Questions from the public

How would you balance the needs of the community living here and the visitor economy/tourism? 

When we focus our energy on the heart of the community, Gillespie said, including community spaces, a community driven school and other community based projects, it retains like minded people in our community.

People passionate about being in the community will make it a better place, he added, willing to invest in clubs and businesses.

“That will directly affect tourism,” he said. “In a positive way.”

What does potential programming look like for the youth in Sun Peaks? 

Along with the outdoor landscape Sun Peaks offers kids, Gillespie said the municipality has made progress on moving projects along, such as getting the health centre in place, progressing with the skatepark and planning for a school.

“We’re not all the way there,” he said. “But I think we need to be proud of where we’ve come, and I think we need to keep our foot on the gas.”

Do you think offering a development of more affordable places would be a better driver than fewer, more expensive houses? 

Though for the build of affordable housing, Gillespie said he doesn’t think it is the fix-all.

“I think there’s a lot of things we need to do to realize what the other aspects of inventory are in Sun Peaks.”

With the last master plan published five years ago, how are we going to get ahead of the curve and meet expectations of owners and investors before the next is published? How are we going to pay for water, sewer and hydro?

“Growth for just growth sake is a dangerous thing,” Gillespie said. “And we do need to be calculated how we move forward.”

Matching the OCP with the master plan is an important step, he said, but builds can’t progress until water treatment infrastructure improves.

According to him, budgeting for that includes looking outside of the box at different revenue streams. This includes grants, and he stressed the importance of holding on to the current municipal grant writer.

How do we stay safe in the summer with wildfires? Note that another road out of town would help safety measures.

In agreement with the importance of the road to Chase, Gillespie said the foundation forward should be a financial agreement with the neighbouring First Nations for the long term.

With the municipality hiring a FireSmart coordinator, he said that’s very positive to see in the short term.

What would you be lobbying for with the province, which big ticket items? Examples include the road to Chase and community school.

“We need to be realistic about how we can use our community budget,” Gillespie said, adding that the community school is a big priority.

The more money raised as a community for the school would give Sun Peaks a voice in its build, he said. Funding as a community as well as pushing as a council is how he sees results solidifying.