Former councillor Rob O’Toole was acclaimed Sun Peaks’ second-ever mayor in the April 5 byelection, while Brian Gillespie secured O’Toole’s vacated council seat with 120 votes.

In the 19 months left in this governing cycle, O’Toole said he hopes to focus on a few key items — including advocating for Ottawa to exempt Sun Peaks from its urban foreign-buyers ban, increasing housing supply and strengthening relationships with neighbouring First Nations. 

The federal foreign-buyers ban is one of the most important for SPIN’s readers — with  42 per cent of our survey respondents saying it was top-of-mind during the by-election.

O’Toole said success on the issue may be a matter of getting in front of the right people. Following the federal election this month O’Toole and council will work to meet with the new housing minister to discuss Sun Peaks’ position. 

“We’re also working alongside Sun Peaks Resort [LLP], Canada West Ski Association [and] the Canadian National Ski Council,” he added, saying a collective voice and on-point messaging will be vital in removing the ban from Sun Peaks. 

Infrastructure and development are also high on his list of priorities, and O’Toole said council will be working to increase housing supply and improve the village’s capacity to grow. 

“When we look at infrastructure projects — like the building of the new pipeline for the reservoir, moving forward with the BC Housing project at the west end of the community, expansions to sewage treatment capacities — I’d say for the next year-and-a-half, we’ve got a pretty full agenda.”

Along with improving the vitality and economy of Sun Peaks, O’Toole sees development as key to maintaining the fabric of community in the village. 

“We have a lot of talented young people in our community, and they need to see a way forward where they can find affordable housing, so they can stay here and continue to grow in this community.”

Beyond this term

Looking past these 19 months to the next full civic elections next year, O’Toole sees running for another term as mayor as a “strong option.” 

“If I’m going to spend the next year-and-a-half learning as much as I possibly can about being in that position and what all it entails, it would make sense for me to be strongly in that camp.” 

Adding that life throws unexpected curve balls and his decision is not 100 per cent certain, he said “my expectation is that I’m prepared to run again.” 

O’Toole was the only mayoral candidate in this byelection, something Sun Peaks’ first mayor — the late Al Raine — experienced as well. In the 2014 election, Raine won by acclamation, but said he wished the election could have run its course competitively.

“The perfect world would be a rotation of at least one position each time so that you could get some new people involved,” Raine told SPIN in 2014. “You could say the democratic process is best served when there are more people running.”

In this by-election, O’Toole said he feels community members may have hesitated to participate due, in part, to Raine’s legacy, calling him a “tough act to follow” and “once-in-a-generation leader.” 

“I think the thing for me was just kind of understanding and realizing that you’re not going to step in and fill his shoes,” O’Toole said of his predecessor, who died late last year. “You’re going to make your own way and benefit from being able to stand on his shoulders, and all the work that he did and previous councils had done.” 

Despite the lack of rival nominee names put forward for the mayor’s chair, O’Toole acknowledged the new faces who ran for his vacant council seat, including Dave Burnham, Katherine Campbell, Brian Gillespie and Alice Muirhead. 

“I see that in a positive light going forward,” he said of the interest in local politics. “Hopefully that will continue as we look forward to this next full election, when all of council is up for election.”

Council and staff have also discussed re-evaluating committees, which may help more folks get involved. 

“Committees are a great place to start if you have an interest or desire to maybe run for elected office,” O’Toole said. “Getting involved in committees allows you to have a better finger on the pulse of what’s going on in local government, and … to evaluate if you see yourself in a heavier role as an elected mayor or as an elected councilor.”

Speaking to what he hopes his legacy as mayor will be, O’Toole said it’s too early to tell.

But he told SPIN he is eager to take the baton — reiterating the urgent need for affordable housing, infrastructure development and expanding relationships with the Adams Lake Band, Neskonlith Band and Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw. 

“Those things are where I want to make an impact over the next year-and-a half,” he vowed.
O’Toole and Brian Gillespie will be sworn in as mayor and councillor, respectively, during the regular council meeting on April 15. This meeting will be live-streamed on the municipality’s Facebook page.