After extended debate, Sooke council has decided to hold just one byelection this year – aiming to fill an existing council vacancy and, potentially, the mayor’s seat if it becomes vacant following the upcoming federal election.
Throughout the evening, councillors debated whether to delay the byelection in order to fill all open seats at once, or to begin the process immediately to fill the presently vacant seat, then hold a second byelection, which would cost the district an additional $40,000, when necessary.
Council decided April 7 to conduct a special meeting on April 29, where they will choose whether or not to appoint a chief election officer (CEO). This would mark the beginning of the campaign for at least one but up to three council seats, which would conclude with an election on July 12.
Three seats would be vacant only if Mayor Maja Tait resigns and a current councillor decides to run for her replacement as mayor, which would leave two vacant council seats and one mayoral seat to be filled during the election.
The district has operated with an open council seat since November 2024, when Dana Lajeunesse resigned to take a seat in the legislature as the Juan de Fuca–Malahat MLA.
Since Lajeunesse's departure, Tait has taken a leave of absence from her mayor role that began in March to campaign in the federal election as the Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke NDP candidate, leaving two of seven council seats open.
Council previously delayed a byelection scheduled for April 2025 due to the federal election, staffing concerns and the anticipation that Tait may need to step down if elected, which would require a second byelection to fill her position.
Should she win, and the council were to appoint a CEO on April 29, Tait would have one day to submit her resignation as mayor following the federal election on April 28. This would begin the election campaign, with voting set for July 12.
The decision to delay beginning the election process came after district staff recommended council defer appointing a CEO for the election until two weeks later on May 12, which would cause voting to take place July 26.
Council, however, did not support this option, with many members wanting to act sooner for fear a mid-summer election would see poor turnout. Following a lengthy debate, they opted to defer the decision to appoint a CEO until April 29, when they will decide whether or not to begin the byelection process.
"I'm not happy about going to a byelection on July 26 in the middle of summer," said Coun. Al Beddows, who cited the council's recent difficulty achieving quorum as his motivation to have it sooner.
"We have procrastinated on filling Coun. Lajeunesse’s seat for months now."
Beddows, with the support of Coun. Kevin Pearson, moved to begin the election process that night by appointing a CEO, rather than waiting for the federal election to conclude.
“We can’t second-guess what the mayor is going to do. We can’t second-guess what the election is going to do,” said Beddows.
“If she is elected, it may be weeks before the mayor hands in her resignation, and we just keep putting this off and off. We should have had this person in place and here tonight, but we’ve decided not to do it.”
The motion failed.
“I won’t be supporting the motion. Waiting an additional three weeks is not about second-guessing – it’s about knowing the voter turnout is going to be abysmal,” said Coun. Tony St-Pierre.
“We’re saving three weeks and wasting $39,000 to have a poor showing. I just can’t support that.”
Instead, council supported a motion from Coun. Megan McMath to begin the process on April 29, with only Beddows voting in opposition. The motion did not pass without some controversy, however, when McMath asked if the mayor stepping down before the federal election would make things easier.
“If she stepped down now, it seems it would eradicate a lot of the issues that we’re kind of going through,” said McMath.
The decision was ultimately made to allow for the earliest byelection possible – while hopefully avoiding the need for a second vote if necessary.
