A sweeping change across British Columbia at the Civic Local Elections at the municipal level for Mayor and Council. Over 37 incumbents were defeated in several geographical areas - large, medium and small.
The BCPFFA is very pleased to see Mike Hurley acclaimed as Burnaby’s Mayor, who was first elected in 2018, and uncontested in 2022. Brother Mike Hurley delivered on all his 2018 campaign promises, and will continue moving Burnaby forward. Congratulations Mayor Hurley!
Other notable changes were in our two largest BC Cities, Vancouver and Surrey both had significant changes to their respective councils where public safety was at the forefront of the campaign issues. Vancouver’s Mayor-elect Ken Sims defeated incumbent Kennedy Stewart, and Surrey’s Mayor-elect Brenda Locke narrowly defeated incumbent Doug McCallum.
Voter turnout was down in most municipal elections, Burnaby 29% (-13%), Maple Ridge 22% (-12), Victoria 37% (-8%), however Surrey’s voter turnout was up by +1.6% to 34.5%. (source:Global BC)
President Gord Ditchburn says, “We are very pleased to see several IAFF local endorsements become a reality. Over 83% of BCPFFA Locals support levels and/or public endorsements were successful. To name a few… Burnaby’s Mike Hurley (acclaimed), Delta’s Mayor George Harvie re-elected, Port Coquitlam’s Mayor Brad West (acclaimed), Maple Ridge’s Mayor-Elect Dan Ruimy, North Vancouver’s Mayor-Elect Linda Buchanan, -Pitt Meadow's Nicole MacDonald (acclaimed as new Mayor) coming from council, Cranbrook’s Mayor Wayne Price re-elected.”
IAFF Locals worked extremely hard in building relationships with all candidates, and regardless of the outcomes our members are active in their communities. Public Safety was at the forefront of issues in almost every community and as fire fighters we push hard in making the case for resources, staffing and awareness, so that our public can feel safe in knowing that fire fighters are there and ready to respond. If and when politicians are making decisions affecting the roles of public safety particularly that of fire fighters, we will make every effort to ensure they have right information.
Secretary Treasurer Todd Schierling goes on to say, “The IAFF encourages its members to run for office and make positive change to public safety. This includes advocating for NFPA 1710 such as safe staffing, growth plans, response times, and appropriate apparatus and equipment. We are proud to see several brothers and sisters put their names forward to make a positive difference in their community. We are also fortunate that the IAFF provides Political Academy Training for members wishing to advance public safety at all levels of government. Our locals will work very hard with all elected officials over these next four years and look forward to strengthening relationships across our province enhancing public safety.”
It’s worth noting that several IAFF members (active and retired) made a run for Local Office at all levels, Mayor, Council and School Trustee.
Acclaimed Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley, Retired Burnaby Local 323 member (past president), a BCPFFA President Emeritus and retired IAFF Vice President 6th District
Councillor-elect Tim Baillie is a retired Local 1271 Surrey Member and BCPFFA VP Emeritus was successful in his first run for council in Township of Langley.
Mayor-elect Wayne Price (retired IAFF member and former FC in Cranbrook defeated incumbent.
School Trustee-Elect Joel Neufeld, L1271 Surrey member was successful in his bid for School Trustee in Township of Langley.
Re-elected Michie Vidal, a retired L1271 Surrey dispatcher was re-elected to council for Harrison Hot Springs. Steve McLay, L4550 Township of Langley ran for council in Mission but was unsuccessful.
Gareth Lockhart, L4550 Township of Langley member ran for School Trustee, unfortunately was unsuccessful.
Ray Boucher, retired L1782 Coquitlam Captain, ran for council the Fraser Valley Regional District, however, came up short.
Councillor-elect Allison Evans (spouse of a Lower Mainland fire fighter) was successful in her bid for council in Pitt Meadows.
Megan McMath, Sooke Councillor re-elected. Her husband is an Esquimalt fire fighter.
Here’s a quick glance from City News reported the following:
The 2022 B.C. municipal elections have wrapped up, with a number of communities electing new mayors and councils.
Here is a list of Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley results, with links to articles with expanded coverage:
Abbotsford: Abbotsford voters have elected a new mayor, choosing Ross Siemens to lead the community for the next four years after Henry Braun did not seek reelection.
Burnaby: Mike Hurley has been acclaimed as mayor, with no other candidates running.
Chilliwack: Chilliwack voters have re-elected Ken Popove as mayor. However, it’s a name that’s missing from the list of school trustees that is a standout for many in this election.
Coquitlam: Voters in Coquitlam have re-elected Richard Stewart as mayor.
Delta: Delta voters have re-elected George Harvie as mayor.
Langley city and township: Voters in the Township of Langley have elected Eric Woodward as mayor, while Nathan J Pachal has been elected mayor in the City of Langley.
Maple Ridge: Maple Ridge voters have elected Dan Ruimy mayor.
New Westminster: Patrick Johnstone has been elected mayor. Voters are electing a new mayor after Jonathan X. Cote announced he would not be seeking re-election.
North Vancouver: People in the City of North Vancouver have re-elected Linda Buchanan as mayor, with incumbent Mayor Mike Little reelected in the District of North Vancouver.
Pitt Meadows: Nicole MacDonald will remain the mayor of Pitt Meadows, as no other candidates ran against her. Results for city councillors and school trustees are still being tallied.
Port Coquitlam: Brad West has been acclaimed as mayor, running unopposed. The city’s two school trustees were also re-elected by acclamation.
Port Moody: Meghan Lahti will be the next mayor of Port Moody.
Richmond: Richmond voters have reelected Malcolm Brodie as mayor.
Surrey: Surrey voters have elected Brenda Locke as mayor, defeating incumbent Doug McCallum.
Vancouver: The results are in and Vancouverites have elected Ken Sim the next mayor.
West Vancouver: West Vancouverites have elected Mark Sager mayor replacing incumbent Mary-Ann Booth.
White Rock: Voters have elected Megan Knight, who narrowly defeated incumbent Darryl Walker Saturday.