Meet prospective councillor David Burnham

“For the past 9 years, I’ve been privileged to call Sun Peaks my home,” Burnham told SPIN through email. “We took the path that many of us did, we started vacationing here 25 years ago, bought a condo and then made Sun Peaks our permanent home. Today three generations of my family live in Sun Peaks, giving me a unique perspective on the broad spectrum of community needs.

My professional career spans over three decades of senior leadership in financial services and technology, where I have managed complex budgets, led strategic planning and fostered innovation. I’ve built teams with a leadership style that is open, communicative and inclusive. I currently run two businesses, a data analytics and a software company.

This will be my fifth season as a volunteer instructor with Adaptive Sports at Sun Peaks and I am currently serving as the president of the board of directors.

Since the by-election in April last year, I am noticed more for my absence at council meetings than for my attendance.”

“The previous council moved the decision of reopening the Health Centre to the Sun Peaks Community Health Association. They have a challenge in front of them as we already now have a medical practice that serves the entire community today, and for the foreseeable future.

I am interested in hearing the options the association comes up with and will support any recommendation that makes financial sense and puts the space to its intended use. If a resolution is not arrived at in a reasonable period, then I think council needs to step back in and take another look at how to make best use of this community asset.”

To review SPIN’s coverage of the health centre, visit our dedicated landing page. 

“If the ban is extended and we don’t get an exemption, then we will need to continue to lobby the federal government. The party dynamics are not in our favour, and we need to keep working on it. We need to ensure our municipal budgeting is done through the lens of different economic outcomes and planning our budgets to ensure they are realistic.

If it is lifted, we don’t have time to waste. We need to complete the infrastructure improvements that are necessary so that Sun Peaks Resort can continue to develop without delay.  We will also need to accelerate planning of further improvements and a wider array of infrastructure and services that will be needed for our larger community.”

To review SPIN’s coverage of the ban, visit our dedicated landing page.

“Number one is our waste water capacity. Without an increase in capacity, all growth in the resort is stalled.

Funding isn’t a simple answer. It’s not just raising property taxes or development cost charges. It’s not just about applying for grant money. We have to work creatively with our partners to find a solution that we can all afford.”

“I’m serving as the president of the board of directors of Adaptive Sports at Sun Peaks. The only municipal conflict of interest would be Adaptive Sports at Sun Peaks annual application for the community grant. I would recuse myself from that discussion and vote.”

“We need to advocate and lobby for a new school and community building. One that has more facilities for community use, like playgrounds, fields and a gymnasium where we can create more diverse opportunities for engagement in sport, and community rooms where organizations, such as Scouts, have a place to host their programs. It is also a site that can be home to a community library.

We need to continue to support the skate park. We need to focus on ways to make all programs accessible to all youth, including those with special needs and disabilities. We need to listen to the community specifically on this topic to ensure these needs and ideas are heard and actioned.

This is an area we would all like to do more on. However, we are faced with the reality of financial constraints and that many things are not controlled by the municipality, and we have to work with other agencies and partners over what amounts to longer periods of time to ensure that these facilities and programs can be put in place.”