Harrison Hot Springs elects new mayor, councillor in byelection

Residents of Harrison Hot Springs, a small, picturesque village about 90 minutes from Vancouver, have elected a new mayor and councillor in Saturday's byelection.

Fred Talen has been elected as mayor, while Mark Schweinbenz won the councillor seat, according to unofficial results.

Preliminary results show Talen, a relative newcomer to the village, secured his victory with 541 votes, or 58.4 per cent of the total. He defeated Greg Dykstra, who received 204 votes, and John Allen, who earned 181.

Schweinbenz, a chocolate business owner with a background in surgical devices, garnered over 58 per cent of the vote with 548 ballots cast in his favour. He was followed by Teresa Omelus with 147 votes, Gary Webster with 137, and former mayor Ed Wood, who received 100.

A total of 926 voters from the village, which has a population of around 1,500, participated in the byelection.

The election comes amid ongoing governance challenges in the village following the resignation of Wood as mayor earlier this year. Wood stepped down after alleging that three councillors were conspiring against him and Allen, another councillor.

Allen then resigned from his councillor position, creating an empty council seat, to take another shot at mayor, a position he's held before.

This election marks the second byelection in Harrison Hot Springs in the last two years, following a council resignation in 2023.

Both Talen and Schweinbenz will serve on council until 2026 before the next general election, with the inaugural council meeting scheduled for Oct. 7. 

Talen is a former land claims negotiator in the Northwest Territories and says his experience in conflict resolution will benefit the village.

"I'm going to approach being mayor and chairing meetings in the same way I did my work," he told CBC News on Sunday.

"Hopefully through informed discussion and even debate on the issues, council can make good decisions that benefit the whole of Harrison Hot Springs," he added.

CBC News has reached out to the councillor-elect for comment.

The election results are set to be certified on Tuesday.

WATCH | This dysfunctional council in B.C. is prepping for a byelection: 

This dysfunctional council in B.C. is prepping for a byelection

3 months ago

Duration 1:59

Candidates are preparing for a byelection in one of B.C.'s more dysfunctional communities. Since the last municipal elections nearly two years ago, the council in Harrison Hot Springs has struggled with infighting. In June, former Mayor Ed Wood resigned.