Regional District Board elects chair and vice-chair

Pemberton, BC — The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) Board of Directors elected the chair and vice-chair for the coming year at the November 27 Board meeting.

Resort Municipality of Whistler Director, Jen Ford, will serve her fifth year as board chair. Electoral Area C Director, Russell Mack, returns to the position of vice-chair. Both positions were acclaimed. 

“I am grateful to my colleagues for their ongoing support and commitment to the important work we do at the regional district," said Ford. “Regional districts are an important level of government, with a mandate for regional and electoral area planning,” she added. 

“The regional district table provides a forum for regional collaboration and cooperation, while respecting the unique needs of each electoral area. I look forward to the work ahead as we continue to advance our priorities in support of the region.”

Mack has served as vice-chair since July 2024, when he was elected following the resignation of Electoral Area B Director, Vivian Birch-Jones, from that position.

“It’s been an honour to do this work, as vice-chair, for the past few months and I am keen to continue with the momentum that we’ve built,” Mack said. “Regional districts provide an important function in ensuring that residents who live in rural, unincorporated areas are represented at the decision-making tables that affect them." 

“Serving the community, and the region, is a great privilege. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and some lofty goals, and we’re committed to continuing to make the most informed decisions on behalf of our constituents.”

The SLRD is governed by an 11-member board of directors consisting of four electoral area directors and seven municipal directors (one director from the District of Lillooet, one director from the Village of Pemberton, two directors from the Resort Municipality of Whistler and three directors from the District of Squamish). 

Regional district board composition and voting strength are determined by the formula set out in section 196(2) of the Local Government Act (LGA). 

While municipal directors are appointed to the SLRD Board by their respective municipal councils, electoral area directors are elected in each electoral area during the General Local Election. The positions of chair and vice-chair are elected annually by the SLRD Board of Directors.

The current SLRD Board of Directors: 

• Sal DeMare, Electoral Area A 
• Vivian Birch-Jones, Electoral Area B
• Russell Mack, Electoral Area C (vice-chair)
• Tony Rainbow, Electoral Area D 
• Laurie Hopfl, District of Lillooet
• Mike Richman, Village of Pemberton
• Jack Crompton, Resort Municipality of Whistler
• Jen Ford, Resort Municipality of Whistler (chair)
• Armand Hurford, District of Squamish
• Chris Pettingill, District of Squamish
• Jenna Stoner, District of Squamish

In addition to serving on the SLRD Board, directors also serve on standing and select committees as well as on external boards, committees and commissions representing a broad range of issues. The full list of these appointments for the coming year will be available on the SLRD website.

SLRD Board meetings are generally held in the SLRD boardroom at 1350 Aster Street in Pemberton on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Meetings can be attended in person, or viewed via livestream or recording. The meeting schedule, location details, agendas and minutes are available on the SLRD website.

-30-

Located in southwestern BC, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) is a local government federation consisting of four member municipalities (the District of Lillooet, the District of Squamish, the Village of Pemberton and the Resort Municipality of Whistler) and four unincorporated, rural electoral areas (A, B, C, and D). Headquartered in Pemberton, which is the approximate geographic centre of the region, the SLRD delivers a wide range of local, regional and sub-regional services to approximately 50,496 residents (2021 Census as certified by the Minister of Municipal Affairs).

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District is found within the traditional territories of several First Nations, including the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), St'át'imc and Líl̓wat. Small parts of the SLRD also overlap with the traditional territories of the Stó:lō, Tsleil-Waututh, Nlaka'pamux, Tsilhqot'in, and Secwepemc Nations. While the SLRD does not provide direct services to the residents of the First Nations communities located within the region, the organization is committed to enhancing relations with the Indigenous communities and First Nations within whose territories the SLRD operates.