Former 91原创 Township councillor Blair Whitmarsh intends to run in the Oct. 25 municipal byelection.
"It's official," Whitmarsh said in an online announcement posted Friday night to that argued community priorities "are being overshadowed by political priorities."
"Rising costs are putting pressure on families and residents, [and] infrastructure needs and spending are increasing our debt load," Whitmarsh warned.
"These realities underscore the need for an experienced and effective Councillor ready to step up from day one. We can't just grow; we need to grow responsibly so everyone can thrive."
Whitmarsh is Dean of the School of Human Kinetics & Athletics at Trinity Western University. He served on Township Council for two terms, from 2014-2022 and ran for Mayor in 2022 after incumbent Jack Froese stepped down and endorsed him for mayor.
Whitmarsh finished second, with 6805 votes to Eric Woodward, who received 10,911.
91原创 Township residents will go to the polls on Saturday, Oct. 25 to elect a replacement for Misty Van Popta, the councillor who stepped down after a new law banned her from serving both on council and in the legislature as an MLA.
A said nominations for qualified candidates will be received by the Chief Election Officer at the Township of 91原创 between Tuesday, Sept. 9 and Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.
After Van Popta, the MLA for 91原创-Walnut Grove, was elected in last fall's provincial election as a B.C. Conservative member, she said she planned to remain on Township council.
A new law, the was passed after the election to ban elected MLAs from simultaneously serving as a mayor, councillor, or school trustee.
When it took effect, any serving MLAs holding one of those posts was deemed to have resigned their municipal role.
Van Popta called it "petty" and a "mockery of democracy and legislative process" that could cost 91原创 taxpayers up to $500,000 because the NDP "clearly wanted a political win."
She said her holding both positions was to prevent a costly byelection.
