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Peace Region mayoral races lead 2026 B.C. municipal elections

The B.C. Peace Region is set to see a handful of closely watched mayoral races

Published Sep 21, 2026  •  4 minute read

British Columbia prepares to vote in municipal elections, including the Peace Region. Photo by Azin Ghaffari /Postmedia

On October 17, British Columbians vote in municipal elections across the province.

Friday, Sept 18 saw candidates officially confirm their candidacy – including in the B.C. Peace Region. which sees a handful of closely watched mayoral races including a rematch in Pouce Coupe, a political veteran looking to move up the ladder in Fort St. John, and one community not holding an election at all.

Advance voting is scheduled for Oct. 7 and 14.

In Fort St. John, incumbent Mayor Lilia Hansen faces perhaps the region’s most recognizable municipal challenger in a long time – Trevor Bolin, who has been a councillor for 18 years.

Hansen won the mayor’s chair in 2022 after five years on council. Her campaign has emphasized the connection between economic and community development. Bolin, meanwhile, has been on council since 2008 and is seeking the mayor’s office after five terms as a councillor. He previously led the B.C. Conservative Party from 2019 to 2023.

Perhaps Fort St. John’s biggest ballot question is not attached to candidates. Voters will also decide whether the city can borrow up to $90 million for a proposed $185-million aquatic facility and indoor fieldhouse.

Bolin also enters the campaign carrying some recent political history. Elections B.C. fined him $650 in 2025 after finding he accepted a prohibited contribution connected to his 2022 municipal campaign. Bolin said the issue arose from reusing previously paid-for campaign signs and said he would comply with the rules.

His earlier political record also includes a 2018 workplace matter involving a business he owned. WorkSafeBC found the employer had dismissed an employee on prohibited discriminatory grounds after she reported a workplace health and safety concern, with Bolin disputing the dismissal was because of the complaint. Later, he said he would have handled the situation differently.

The matter surfaced during the 2020 provincial election for the North Peace MLA seat. Bolin at the time said the former staff member was dismissed for yelling at the general manager – after the internal investigation was finalized, which was being reflected in actions at the workplace and with other employees.

Meanwhile, Dawson Creek is changing mayors after Darcy Dober announced in June that he would not seek another term after serving as councillor and then-mayor for one term. This leaves councillor Kyle MacDonald and businessman Dwaine Dilworth competing for the top job.

MacDonald brings four years on council to the race and was elected president of the North Central Local Government Association for 2026-27. Dilworth has campaigned on a message of working for residents, with integrity and accountability.

The Dawson Creek campaign comes as the city deals with serious city water supply issues and impending December 2026 cancellation of pet licensing and animal control in the city. Voters will also choose six councillors from 13 candidates.

In Pouce Coupe, there is a political rematch with plenty of history. Incumbent Mayor Danielle Veach is seeking a second term, running against former mayor Lorraine Michetti, who lost the 2022 election by just five votes. Businessman Frank Ripley rounds out the three-person mayoral field.

Michetti’s return comes after a turbulent chapter in village politics. A 2021 social-media controversy led to calls for her resignation, and she was reinstated following court proceedings. After the 2022 election, Michetti challenged Veach’s victory in B.C. Supreme Court, alleging vote buying and other conduct.

Elsewhere, Hudson’s Hope has a two-way mayoral race between incumbent Travous Quibell and Luke Zandbergen. Quibell, first elected in a 2023 byelection, has spent time since then lobbying for Highway 29, health-care service interruptions, and other infrastructure concerns. Voters will also decide whether to authorize up to $10 million in borrowing for a new community centre.

Meanwhile, Chetwynd is heading into an election-free transition. Incumbent Mayor Allen Courtoreille is the lone mayoral candidate and six candidates have filed for six council seats, meaning the community can have its mayor and council acclaimed.

Taylor has a contested mayoral race, with incumbent Brent Taillefer facing Dillon Maier.

In Tumbler Ridge, Mayor Darryl Krakowka is unopposed for another term, while eight candidates are seeking six council seats. The election backdrop is unlike anywhere else in Canada as the community still deals with the aftermath of the Feb. 10 mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, in which six people at the school were killed, along with two people at a nearby residence. The shooter also died. The school shooting was the second-deadliest in Canadian history.

A new secondary school is planned at a different location, while area voters will also decide South Peace Region School District 59 trustees, electing one trustee for the Tumbler Ridge electoral area, while other trustee races cover Chetwynd, Dawson Creek and the rural areas surrounding Dawson Creek and Pouce Coupe.

The Peace River Regional District also has races in Electoral Areas D and E, while candidates in Areas B and C are unopposed. Area E required an extension after no candidates initially filed – with a handful of candidates filing during the extension of nominations.

A Dawson Creek council candidate forum is set for this Thursday, with a mayoral debate with MacDonald and Dilworth on Sept 29. Both are at Co-op Mercer Hall in Dawson Creek’s Ovintiv Events Centre.

Pouce Coupe’s candidate forum is set for Oct. 1 in the village just outside Dawson Creek, while Fort St. John candidate debates will go ahead on the same evening. A School Division 59 candidate evening is also slated in Dawson Creek at the Ovintiv Events Centre for Sept. 28.

RBrown@postmedia.com

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