Residents petitioning Sayward face possible end of their village government
Jess Bennett, a founder of the Sayward Taxpayers Alliance, has helped collect more than 130 signatures calling on the province to dissolve the Village of sayward. That petition moves a local argument into a formal provincial process that could replace the village council with regional district governance.
Jess Bennett and Sayward residents facing tax hikes and legal costs
Bennett and other organizers say residents are reacting to a draft 42 percent tax increase and rising legal bills that have strained village finances. Bennett described council dysfunction, drained reserves and infrastructure needs as drivers of the petition; she spoke directly of the legal fees and the village being “in survival mode right now. ”
Article details note that organizers have secured a simple majority of residents—more than 130 signatures—needed by the province to consider dissolution. In the petition’s current tally, petitioners have gathered over 110 of the 170 signatures required to reach a 51 percent threshold for a population referenced in the context. Those numbers are central to the campaign’s claim that municipal governance can be legally revisited.
Sayward Taxpayers Alliance town hall at Heritage Hall on March 6 at 7: 00 pm ET
The grassroots group has scheduled a public meeting at Heritage Hall on Friday, March 6 at 7: 00 pm ET to explain the petition and answer residents’ questions. Organizers presented the town hall as a chance to walk through a complicated process under the Local Government Act and to build the remaining signatures they say are needed.
That session follows public budget discussions in which the village’s hired chartered accountant, Jeannie Bradburne, presented figures showing that annual spending exceeded recurring revenues for five years and that surpluses have been exhausted. Bradburne said limited options remained to find other revenue or reduce expenditures, and she warned that the tax increase would be difficult for people to see.
Village finances are also being driven upward by legal expenses. The context states roughly $300, 000 will be spent on legal services for 2025, an amount that represents more than nearly 20 percent of the village’s entire revenues. Chief executive officer Andrew Young cited reduced government grants, aging infrastructure and insufficient regional support as additional pressures.
Strathcona Regional District, Minister Christine Boyle and what dissolution would mean
If the province approves a dissolution, the Village of Sayward would stop operating as its own municipality and governance would fall to the Strathcona Regional District, represented by the regional director for Sayward Valley. Gerald Whalley, the SRD Area A director for the neighbouring Sayward Valley, said he is watching the issue closely and plans to run again in this year’s municipal election; he could potentially represent Sayward residents if the village were to dissolve.
Whalley suggested economic advantages if the village dissolves: savings on roads and snow plowing that would be assumed elsewhere, elimination of current legal fees, and possible savings tied to community facilities such as the Kelesy Centre, which remains closed except for volunteer-run events. B. C. ’s Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, Christine Boyle, described dissolution as a rare and significant move that would require public engagement and a review of governance structures; the ministry noted past dissolutions as exceptional examples.
Organizers say they will submit their forms in the coming weeks and hope that by the next election in October voters will elect a single regional district director rather than a full municipal council. For now, that timetable frames both the petition campaign and the scheduled town hall as the immediate steps toward a possible transfer of governance.
Back at the campaign’s core, Jess Bennett has helped turn neighborhood frustration into a formal petition and a public meeting. The next confirmed milestone is the submission of those forms in the coming weeks and the town hall at Heritage Hall on March 6 at 7: 00 pm ET, moments organizers intend to use to close the gap on required signatures and press the issue toward the October election.
